Reach
by petiamo
Summary: It is her goal to catch up to him. Will she be able to fulfill it? And will a guy's music reach to her heart or will another's sweet melody render it silent? Ch. 21: This darkness and silence was kind of comforting.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**I do not own La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters.

**Chapter One**

The school was almost deserted at six in the evening. From the window, it could be seen that the sun was at its last minute, leaving behind traces of hazy orange lines on the darkening sky. Hino sat on the piano stool with the violin and bow on her lap while Tsukimori stood in the middle of the room.

"Wow! Tsukimori-kun is really going to perform solo in the school festival's night concert?" Hino looked at the person across the room with such amazement in her eyes.

"Yes."

"And," she pushed the question to him asking for more details, "It was a request from the director?"

"It's just," he looked down on the floor uninterestedly, "because I placed first in the concours."

"But still... if only I'm as good as you are." She patted her head in the back. A streak of sadness crossed her face.

Sensing this, the usually cold Tsukimori gently said, "Is it because you lost in that concours?" He was referring to the contest she joined to convince Saotome-sensei to teach her.

"I – I was just thinking that if I won the competition then even if you leave, someone would still be here to guide me."

Len slowly went towards the practice room window. From the glass, he could see her flustered reflection. "You would still play it, right?" he said in his unusual small voice. "The violin. Even after I leave"

"O-of course!"

"Then promise me you'll get better."

"P-promise? Well, it's kinda hard to keep without your help but I'll try."

"Then let's continue the practice. Get better Hino then maybe one day we'll get to make good music together." Tsukimori said the first with strict authority and the last almost inaudible as if just a whisper to himself.  
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"Ja, Nao, Mio." Hino energetically waved goodbye to her friends as another day of classes ended.

"Ja, Kaho-chan. Don't stress yourself in the practice too much," Takato said.

"Kaji-kun, take care of Hino. Walk her home if you like. You have my permission." Kobayashi said the words in a teasing tone as she was running through the door.

"Eh!" Hino bellowed in embarrassment. Her cheeks glowed red and her eyes wandered away from the guy in question. "It's not your permission to give!"

"So can I have your permission then?" Kaji walked to her side and flashed a smile. "Can I walk you home after practice?"

"Tch, come on we'll be late." Tsuchiura suddenly appeared behind them, a bit jealous with what he heard. "Ugh, why do I have to be on this? The soccer championships are on Saturday," the green-head continued in lower voice.

"So-sorry Tsuchiura-kun, it's my fault." Hino bowed to him apologetically.

"Eh, it's not your fault. I am the one who volunteered to accompany you in the first selections." Tsuchiura felt guilty on his statement earlier. He wished he could take those back as fast as it slipped his mouth.

The practice for the night concert was held at the Orchestra club's room because the concours participants would perform with them. Kaji had volunteered to join them since Ousaki-senpai was not available to play the viola. He thought of it as extra time with Hino so he did not mind. After the rehearsal for the concours participants' number with the oke, Fuyuumi and Shimizu went home immediately. Yunoki left for an important student council meeting. Hihara was still practicing since the oke had more numbers.

"They are all great. I wish I could get better just as I promised Tsukimori-kun, but will I fulfill it when there is no one to teach me after he's gone?" Hino's thoughts wandered as she listened to the oke's music.

"Oi Hino, oi!" Tsuchiura shook Hino lightly, "You're spacing out."

"Heh, I'm sorry I was just… is there something you said?" Hino looked startled.

"Well," he combed his hair with his hand, "I was just asking you if you already want to go home. You look worried. Is there something bothering you?"

"Ahaha, no it's nothing. I was just amused by the oke's music." She tried to laugh off but Tsuchiura was not convinced. He knew something was bugging her and he knew it had something to do with Tsukimori's departure. She had been looking like that a lot since Len told her about his plans to Europe.

"You know you can always tell me that. One gen ed student to another, remember?"

That night Tsuchiura had made up his mind. "Tomorrow," he spoke to himself with determination.  
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Thursday morning was a lot more stressful for Hino. Last night was a mess.

Hino remembered in her head that after avoiding more questions from Tsuchiura from the previous night, Hihara came excitedly to where the two gen ed students were.

"Ah, I'm exhausted. It's a bit late now" the music student said rather energetically while flashing a look on his digital wristwatch which says it was already seven thirty-four in the evening. "Neh, Kaho-chan, can I walk you home tonight?"

"But she already agreed to walk home with me," Kaji argued while closing the viola case he borrowed.

"It's not true. Hino didn't say yes to you," Tsuchiura butted in.

"Yes she did. I even got permission from her friends."

"Nope, I hadn't heard it," answered the soccer player, "I'm going to walk her home since my home is nearest to hers."

"Wait! I asked her first. Right Kaho-chan?" Hihara asked her with puppy eyes while stomping on the floor.

"No, I asked her earlier," defended the blonde.

"That one doesn't count since I didn't hear it." The senpai was acting very childish, going as far as sticking his tongue out.

Tsuchiura, getting annoyed by all the bickering, grabbed Hino's left wrist to try to get her out of the room but Kaji was alert so he grabbed the other wrist of the confused girl. The two tried to pull her in different directions as if fighting the game of tug of war. The child-like senpai planned to pull Hino from behind. He was about to put his arms around her when a camera flashed. All three guys let go suddenly.

"Aw, too bad I forgot to put the film in," regretted the nosy journalist, "maybe I should save up for a digital one."

"Amou-san, you're still here," Hino, snapping out of confusion, wondered.

"Oh, the student council and the journalism club agreed to have a meeting for the up coming festivals. Just one week left, you know!"

In the end, all three guys got to walk Hino home. However, everything was not as silent as it would have been. When they passed by an arcade, Hihara and Kaji agreed to have a match on a basketball shooting game. The winner would have the privilege to walk Hino home the following day. This, of course, was unknown to the redhead. Hihara won by merely one point. Tsuchiura did not join their game, perhaps thinking that joining would make him look desperate. Besides, he did not want to be more obvious in front of Hino. They also stopped by a sweets shop where the three guys bought her a cake slice each. They insisted that Hino ate everything and so she was so full she skipped dinner that night.

"Thinking about it still makes me feel so full," she whispered as she was running by the fairy's statue, late yet again for classes. She was so tired of their little adventure last night that she woke up late this morning.  
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Meanwhile, at one of the practice rooms…

"Damn it! Are you really that selfish? Do you think spending time with her before you leave is enough?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I know you know what I'm talking about!"

"It's none of your business."

"If it's her business, it's mine too!"

"Are you really that hopeless? Trying to be a knight, creeping other people up behind her back?"

Before another word was to be uttered, a fist was put up in the air directed at the guy who spoke last.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** petiamo-chan does not, in any way, own La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters.

And, now, petiamo-chan presents to you…

**Chapter Two**

"Are you really that hopeless? Trying to be a knight, creeping other people up behind her back?" Tsukimori asked the raging Tsuchiura.

The latter could no longer contain his anger and posed as if going to punch the violinist. Before his anger got the better of him, however, the morning bells signaling the start of classes rang. Tsuchiura left without any more words.  
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Hino was late again so their homeroom teacher asked her to do some errands before taking her afternoon break. When she reached their classroom to get her stuff, it was empty. Everyone was spending their lunch outside to admire the beautiful weather.

"Kaho-chan!" boomed a voice.

Hino jumped in surprise. For a while she stood frozen in shock. Upon recovering, she turned around towards the door. "Oh, Hihara-senpai. Please don't scare me like that."

"Hehehe, sorry Kaho-chan. I guess I got too excited 'cause I get to walk you home tonight!" Hihara said, scratching his head.

"About that senpai. I'm sorry but I forgot to tell you that I have practice with Tsukimori-kun since we don't have practice with the oke."

Her senpai's face fell in disappointment but this would not go on for long.

"Excuse me, Hino. About tonight," started Tsukimori, emerging from a corner of the hall, "I'm sorry but I have to do something important. I have to cancel our practice."

"Is that so? Well, if it's really important for Tsukimori-kun, I don't mind. I'm already taking too much of your time so I could not ask for more," she told him, a smile on her face.

Suddenly, Hihara jumped up and down, just like a child, rejoicing. "You heard that Kaho-chan? Now you're free! Yay! Thank you Tsukimori-kun."

Without a word Len turned his back and walked away. "Hino, you really are selfless," he thought as Hino's words resounded in his mind.  
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After Hihara left, Hino decided to skip lunch and went to practice at the rooftop. She tried to play the piece she and Len was currently practicing. She tried to play those parts which Tsukimori had commented that need improvement. She was so deep in concentration that she did not notice someone enter the rooftop.

"Very impressive, Kahoko. You are so hard working."

"Yu-yunoki-senpai!" Hino blurted his name out of surprise.

"How lovely. You never fail to amuse me Kahoko," he teased, an evil smile playing on his face.

Words failed Hino. She knew something was coming but before she realized it, she was already leaning on the wall. There was no more room to move. Yunoki already had his hands stretched out with his palms on the wall on either side of her head. His face was only inches away from hers.

"Do you think skipping lunch and practicing would do you any good?"

No response.

"You even enlisted Tsukimori to help you."

Still, silence from the girl.

"Your trying hard really annoys me." Slowly, he moved his head towards her as if to kiss her.

Near.

Nearer.

Almost there.

_BAM!_

The door opened and a blonde emerged.

"Yunoki-senpai, I didn't expect you to be here." Kaji walked to Hino's side, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Kaji, you're here for Hino?" Yunoki asked, flashing his princely smile. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to leave now. I have some things to do. See you around." Yunoki left in a calm, graceful manner.

"Ne, Kaho, are you alright?"

Hino was still in shock but was able to answer feebly. "I, I'm fine Kaji-kun."

"Thought I'd find you here. Glad just to be in time," comforted Kaji as he flashed his smile to the girl. "You should not skip lunch you know. Here, Mio wants you to have this onigiri she made," he said while giving her the food.

"Thank you."

"Why don't you play me a good music after you eat that? I want to hear you play." His emerald eyes followed her movements. From lifting the onigiri to her mouth to take a bite up to swallowing it, he paid the highest attention.

"Ah, Kaji-kun, could you please stop staring. I can't eat well with you like that," said Hino, blushing to the darkest shade of red.

"Sorry. Can't control it. You look so beautiful when you eat." Kaji's cheeks glowed red in embarrassment.  
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The rest of the classes for the day ended uneventful. Hihara waited for Hino by the school gates. He was restless, walking back and forth in such a short distance. Once Hino was in sight, he relaxed.

"Kaho-chan, how about visiting a new cake shop at the shopping district before going home? My treat," Hihara asked while on their way home.

"O-okay."

They passed by rows of different shops. Hihara was in the lead while Hino silently followed. After a while, they reached the area of restaurants and food specialty shops.

"Kaho, Kaho-chan?" Hihara softly shook Hino.

"Ah, senpai!" reacted Hino, surprised.

"You've been spacing out a lot lately, you know," he told Hino as they were entering the shop.

It was just a small store, barely five meters in width. The counter was at the farthest end from the door. There were no more than ten tables with either two or four cozy chairs. Each table was with a small vase with flowers which gave an air of freshness. The walls were painted with a pale shade of yellow which complemented the vibrant paintings in dark-varnished wooden frames.

They seated themselves in the table near the counter. When their orders arrive, a choco-strawberry cake for Hino and a walnut-bavarian cake for Hihara, they started eating silently. Hihara was getting uncomfortable with the lack of interaction so he thought of breaking the silence. He looked at the girl across him then noticed it.

"Hey, Kaho-chan don't move. You have icing on your face." He reached across the table to wipe the girl's face. Much to his surprise, she laughed when he was finished. "Eh, why are you laughing at me?"

"You – you have icing – on your – nose, Hihara-senpai!" She struggled uttering the words between breaths.

He immediately wiped his nose, a bit embarrassed. "Glad I made you laugh, Kaho-chan. You look worried these past few days. Is there something bothering you?" he inquired.

Hino suddenly got stiff and said, "No senpai, I'm fine. I may be stressed because of the preparation for the festival." She gave him a weak smile as she finished.

They continued their meal talking about different things, mostly music, but he never touched the 'what worried her' topic again.  
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At the Tsukimori mansion…

"I'll be leaving now. Don't forget the meeting with the school representative tomorrow, Len-kun. Remember, it's at 8 pm sharp. We'll pick you up here," Miyaji said as she was going out of the front door. Miyaji had been helping him with his papers regarding his studies in Europe because her family had good relationship with the family who owns the school which awarded Tsukimori a scholarship.

"Done filling-up the forms, Len?" Hamai Misa emerged from the adjacent room.

"Yes. Can I please be excused from dinner?" Len asked but was already making his way to the stairs which led to the bedrooms on the upper floor.

"Oh, you're skipping dinner? Is there a problem?" she asked, concerned.

"No. I need to practice" he answered in a respectful tone.

They rarely eat dinner together but she did not want to push it so she let him go. She noticed that when he got home this afternoon, her son was deep in thought. "If you need help, we'll always be here, Len," she called to him before he disappeared from her view.  
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_Are you really that selfish?_ Tsuchiura's words rang in his head.

_Well, if it's really important for Tsukimori-kun, I don't mind. I'm already taking too much of your time so I could not ask for more._ He recalled Hino's words. _It's kinda hard to keep without your help but I'll try._ With that an idea struck him.

"I may be selfish, very much unlike her, but I'll try," he thought, hoping it will work.

"Maybe, just maybe…" he whispered to himself as he put his violin on his shoulder and gently pulled the bow over the string. It started the melody of the song which reminded him of that night where he first made music with much emotions, picturing in his mind the girl he made it with.

Ave Maria, the notes sung through the silent, chilly night.  
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Yup! Some scenes in the first chapter are from and inspired by the manga, actually lots of it. Petiamo-chan is trying to create the mood for the story by using them. But she promises to deviate from it once everything is in place.

There. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comments, suggestions, violent reactions, you are very much welcome.

Domo! [bows]

Gotta run!

And cut.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**For the third time, I do not own the rights on La Corda d'Oro or on any of its characters.

Ah, the rituals.

**Chapter Three**

Hihara whistled joyfully as he held his bag over his shoulder. He walked leisurely among the flow of students coming to school on a sunny Friday morning. As he passed by the campus gates, he caught sight of the redhead five people ahead of him. "Kaho-chan!" When she slowed down to look for the owner of the voice, he waved at her and excitedly approached.

"Oh, Hihara-senpai, Ohayou!"

"Ohayou, Kaho-chan! I'm so lucky I saw you!"

"Eh. Why?"

"O – ahaha. It's nothing." Hihara frantically waved both his hands in front of his face. "Don't mind me."

"Ohayou." Someone greeted from behind them.

They both turned around to see Tsuchiura catching up to them. "Ohayou, Tsuchiura," both greeted him back.

The three made their way inside the campus and was about to split up when Hihara talked about last night. "Kaho-chan, thank you about last night. Well, see you!" He bid them goodbye as the two were making their way to the Gen Ed building.

This reminded Tsuchiura of what he wanted to ask Hino. "Ah, Hino, can I ask you something?" He asked her tentatively when he was sure they were out of others' earshot.

"Sure Tsuchiura-kun. What about?" The words came out warm and enthusiastic.

"It's about the soccer game tomorrow," he said hesitantly.

"Soccer?" She put a finger on her cheek, deep in thought. "I don't know anything about soccer."

"No, not about soccer, really! It's, well… I wonder if you're free tomorrow. Is it okay if I ask you to come and watch and do something after that?"

"Oh, that!" she realized she misinterpreted Tsuchiura's statement. Her face was red, more embarrassed than flattered because of the invitation. "It's the championship right? I heard it from Amou-kun, said she'll be taking photos of the game. Of course I'll come to support the school."

She might have answered yes to the game but what about the 'afterwards'? Tsuchiura let it slide, nevertheless. He just had to ask later. For now, he was contented that she would watch the game.  
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As the two Gen Ed students left him, Hihara slowly made his way to the other side. He was still immersed in last night's happy feeling that jumped a little when someone unexpectedly spoke behind him.

"What about last night, Hihara?" Yunoki stood a few feet away from his rear. His tone was full of teasing.

"Yunoki, you scared me there!" Hihara bellowed like a kid. "How long have you been there?"

"A few minutes now. Don't tell me you two are dating?" The flutist asked this, making it sound like a joke.

"No, it's not like that. I just walked her home. That's all." Hihara blushed hard because of his friend's curiosity. "Now let's go or we'll be late for class!" Hihara half ran while feigning enthusiasm. He would do anything to avoid the topic at the moment. He felt embarrassed.

"Kahoko, you really annoy me. Wait 'till I get you alone again," Yunoki thought as he caught up with Hihara.  
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The morning classes passed in a blur and before Hino knew it, it was already lunch time. Students from Hino's class got up excitedly and headed for the door.

"Hino, can we eat together?" Kaji got up from his seat and knelt beside Hino.

"Ah, looks like a proposal to me!" Kobayashi's eyes twinkled with what she was seeing.

"Cut it out Mio!" Hino shouted, turning redder with every millisecond that passed by. She turned to Kaji and said, "Sorry, Kaji-kun but I have to practice. I think I'll eat alone."

"I'll come with you then. We'll eat first. It'll take only a few minutes, I swear. Then I can listen to you play." Kaji flashed his pleading smile to her.

Hino felt guilty seeing his face. Unable to turn him down, she agreed to have lunch first. Together, they made their way along the busy stairs up to the rooftop.

"I can't leave her alone, not with what I've witnessed yesterday," Kaji thought as they were making their way through the steps that lead to Hino's favorite practice spot. Before fully steeping out of the door, he scanned the place. He relaxed when he confirmed that the guy he was grudging at was not present.

It was really nice to hear her play. Her music might not be up to standards yet. It might not be played exactly according to what the music sheet says, but for him her music was perfect. It soothed him and made him crave for more. But when she was in the middle of playing the piece which Tsukimori was teaching her, he heard something not right. No, the notes she played were all in tune. They were at the right timing, even the pauses. The staccato, the fortes, pianos, everything was right. Something was not present, though. He was not hearing the carefree attitude that Hino was putting in everything she played. That happy emotion that he loved was missing. From then, he confirmed that Hino was having a problem. However, he decided to observe more.  
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In a deserted room in the Music department, a student was having a private conversation with a teacher.

"Please, Sensei, consider this," a student pleadingly asked the teacher to consider the proposal.

"Even if you're my best student, it doesn't mean that I'll say yes to whatever you want." The teacher's tone was arrogant. He uttered the words without a clue of hesitation.

"This would be the last, I swear. Just give me this chance"

"Why is this so important anyway? This is going nowhere. Besides, the performances are already lined-up." With that, the teacher turned his back from the student. After a few steps, he faced the student again. "Alright, I might reconsider this, given that you talk to the director and the concert administrator first. If they say yes, then I may grant you what you want," the teacher said, interest was obvious in his tone.

For the first time in that moment, a glint of hope filled the student's eyes. He bowed to the retreating figure with much respect.

"Let's see how this turns out," the teacher thought as he went away.

The student was about to go to the school's faculty room when the bell rang, marking the end of the lunch break.  
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"Hino, are you ready?" Kaji asked Hino when he noticed that she was not moving from her seat. They were dismissed a few minutes earlier because their teacher finished the lesson quickly but Hino seemed unaware of it. "Hino," he called, louder this time.

"Ah, Kaji-kun. Where's Nao and Mio?" she asked after coming to her senses.

"Heh." Kaji tilted his head to the side. "They already went away, planning to go to the cake shop you and Hihara-senpai ate at. You even waved goodbye to them," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm spacing out again, huh?" She scratched her head out of pure embarrassment.

"Yup. Spacing out a lot, actually. Is there something bothering you?"

She laughed. He wondered why.

"Kaji-kun, do you know that you're the third person this week to ask me that? The exact same words. Do you think I'm really that problematic?"

She started to gather her things and put them in her bag. It took her full fifteen minutes to get ready for departure. Once everything was set, they slowly made their way out.  
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"Excuse me, is Len-kun here?" Miyaji politely asked the students in class 2-A.

"Tsukimori left hurriedly after dismissal. He may be practicing again, just like always," answered one guy with a note of sarcasm.

"I wonder what's he hurrying up to. It's only five minutes after dismissal," Miyaji asked herself as she went to the practice rooms to find him there. Sadly, there was no trace that he went to practice.  
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"Hino!" A tired voice shouted from behind them.

Hino knew the voice but she was surprised to hear it in an exhausted way. She turned around, thinking she might only be hearing things, but her eyes was shocked when she confirmed that she was hearing right.

"Oh, Tsukimori-kun!" Kaji greeted a few seconds in delay. Hino was too stunned to speak at the moment.

Well, who would not be shocked if you see Len, his cream jacket hanging loosely in his right arm, drenched in sweat, panting heavily, and half running towards you? Very out of character, that was. When Hino recovered from this she asked Tsukimori what happened.

"Kaji, I'll have Hino with me." He uttered the words in a possessive manner.

"Why? We are just about to go home."

"We need to do something," he answered with authority.

"Tsukimori-kun…" she called.

"You need to come with me, now."

With this, Hino suddenly looked up to him and she noticed. He might be drenching in sweat, he might look very exhausted but there, in his eyes, she could see hope and determination.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** If I have been counting right, this is the fourth time that I'm gonna tell the world wide web that the rights on La Corda d'Oro or on any of its characters aren't mine.

Well I don't care. As long as there is La Corda d'Oro, I am happy. But for now, there is this:

**Chapter Four**

"You need to come with me now," Tsukimori ordered.

"Go on Hino, if it's really important." Kaji slightly pushed Hino towards Tsukimori. He felt thwarted by the sudden turn of events but opted not to let Hino know. He even faked a smile.

"Sorry Kaji-kun and thank you." Hino bowed apologetically towards the blonde.

"Eh, it's alright but you owe me one." Thinking quickly, he added, "Perhaps we could continue this on Sunday. Ten in the morning at the park near the fountain. Meet me." He retreated from the two violinists. If whatever that was would help Hino, he just had to let it be.  
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"Ano, Tsukimori-kun, what exactly are we going to do?" Hino asked Tsukimori as they made their way to the music department. From the windows, she could see that the orange sun was already half hidden in the horizon.

"Practice."

"Eh," she shouted in surprise, "practice? But…"

"No buts. Hurry up, there's no time to waste." He cut off Hino as he paced faster.

When they reached the practice room, he took out a few music sheets from an envelope and handed it to her. "Play this"

Hino hesitantly received the sheets and saw the black bold letters across the top of the first page – Largo, a composition written by Antonio Vivaldi. She nervously took out her violin from its case and started to focus on the notes.

_[Screeeeeech]_

"Hino, how many times do I have to remind you? Use your elbow and not your shoulder when pulling the bow. That way, the contact would be more stable and the violin will not screech."

"Ha-hai!"

"And watch your posture. Keep your back straight and don't sway your body too much."

"Hai!"

They started from the top. He listened with eyes closed. Tsukimori would make her stop at the slightest mistake and let her start again.

"Why is Tsukimori-kun so strict all of a sudden" she wondered silently as she was readying herself for another go at the piece. When she was about to pull the bow, someone knocked at the door and opened it slowly.

"Len-kun, found you," Miyaji announced with gladness.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd surprise you by coming here after classes but you took off immediately. Then I went here earlier but I wasn't able to find you so I called your home but you haven't gone there. I phoned every ten minutes but you're still not home so I thought of visiting the oke club. I got hooked in their practice so I stayed longer than I intended to."

"What time is it?"

"It's already seven minutes after seven. You need to get ready now."

"Go ahead. I'll catch up later," he replied uncaringly.

"But you need to get ready or you'll be late for the meeting!" Miyaji protested.

"We still need to finish this." Tsukimori gently pushed her out of the room and closed the door.

"A-ano, Tsukiomori-kun, I think the meeting is important. You should get ready now. I'll be fine. I'll try to study this by myself."

"Just one more. Then I'll walk you home first." He denied Hino's idea as he went back to his seat, his legs crossed comfortably and so are his arms.  
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It was a long walk to Hino's home. No wonder they arrived there at seven-forty-five.

"Tsukimori-kun, sorry for taking more of your time but aren't you going to be late? It's fifteen minutes before eight." She looked at him apologetically.

"It's fine. I can't let you walk alone, can I?" he asked rhetorically. "By the way, Hino, you've mentioned you've never heard the piece before?"

"Hai!" she confirmed.

"Come by the house tomorrow. I'll lend you a CD so you can listen to it," he offered.

"Hontou? That would be great, Tsukimori-kun!" A smile spread across her face. Without another word, he left. "Arigatou, Tsukimori-kun. Gambatte about the meeting!" She waved goodbye.

"I'm home!" Hino called out as she slips off her shoes. She put on her slippers and headed directly towards the stairs.

"Just in time for dinner, Kahoko. Why are you late?" Her mother popped her head out of the kitchen to get a better view of her daughter.

"The festival administrator asked for a sudden practice today. Sorry I wasn't able to call, Okaa-san." It was lucky that her brain was able to made up a quick half lie.

"Nice try, Kaho-chan, but everybody knows you're lying," her sister emerged from upstairs. "You were with that guy again."

"Who? The one with the blue hair from the music department?"

"Yes, mum. I guess Kaho-chan is really popular. That's the third time this week and more times before that. She also was with three guys last Wednesday," her sister teased.

"Nee-san!" Hino pouted.

"Enough, you two. If it's the music guy, Tsukimori if I remember correctly, then Kahoko might not be lying after all," her mother said as she finished setting up the dining table.

The teasing continued throughout the dinner.

After helping with cleaning up, Hino went straight to her room and got ready for bed. She lay there with the music sheet in her hand. "Largo? Tsukimori-kun never moved on another piece without me perfecting it first… or at least playing it up to his standards." She sighed heavily as she wondered. "He also became a lot stricter than before. I wonder if I got worst. Maybe I wasn't improving at all," she thought as she pictured the look in Tsukimori's eyes when they met at the gates earlier. "But he doesn't look irritated at all. It was more like his hopes are high up." It was not long until she lost consciousness.

It was a tiring day for her. Well, at least the last few hours of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**Now, I don't have any idea how to say that I do not own the rights pertaining to La Corda d'Oro or to any of its characters. Wait. Have I said it already?

Here we go.

**Chapter Five**

Hino slowly opened her eyes and caught sight of her alarm clock. This made her jump out of bed and went straight to the bathroom after raiding her closet for some decent clothes. She quickly took a bath, doing only the necessaries. After dressing up, she went downstairs and found her mother already cleaning the table. It seemed that her mother and sister have already had their breakfast.

"Oh, Kahoko, it's Saturday. What are you hurrying up for?"

"Soccer game, mum. Last of the season. I'm late. See you later." She was already outside the door when she peeked back and said, "And good morning!"

"Take care then."

She was lucky to catch the bus at the station. She sat restlessly beside the window as the view zoomed past her. When she arrived at school, she felt relieved that the game is still on. The first half was just about to end and no point was made yet.

"Kaho-chan, right here!"

"Amou-san! Nice to see you," Hino greeted as she approached Amou at the benches that had the best view of the game.

"Whoa, you look tired! Sit here, journalism club privileges, you know…" She gestured to Hino.

Hino sat as Amou excused herself to take some pictures for her column. A few minutes more and the first half ended. The players went to their respective benches except for one who directly went to the expectators' benches.

"Hino, I thought you'd never come," Tsuchiura called, a gentle smile on his lips. He was sweating heavily on his blue soccer uniform but this only added to his total athletic look that made girls swoon.

"Sorry, I got up so late. But I think I didn't really miss anything," she teased referring to the no-score scoreboard.

"Well, if you arrive another hour late then you could have missed me…" he paused as he caught his breath, she blushed, "…you could have missed me make the winning goal."

"Well, I'm already here. Let's see you do your thing."

"Hino, do you have anything to do later?"

She racked her brains but remembered nothing important. "None. Why?"

"Would you mind going out to celebrate, win or lose?"

"Ok but it better be a win!" She smiled sweetly to him.

"Alright." He then left her to go and drink water. He needed enough energy for the rest of the game.

When Tsuchiura left, Amou excitedly approached Hino. "Hmmm… sounds like a date to me."

"Heh! Amou-san, it's just a celebration. If you like, you could come too." Hino's face turned really red. Her eyes opened wide as if urging Amou to believe her.

"No, thank you. I think he'd be happier if it's only the two of you… but I'd appreciate it if you can give me first hand information after that."

"Amou-san!" Hino turned even redder.

The game then resumed. At the minutes that had passed, the expectators grew bored and tired but at the last few minutes of the third quarter, cheers roared throughout the whole field. Supporters from the right side of the benches jumped for joy and screamed almost wildly. The opponent school had made a goal.

The game then proceeded to its last quarter. Halfway through this, Tsuchiura made a goal which tied the game. Supporters of Seiso Academy made an even louder cheer from what filled the field earlier. The sun was almost at its peak, and now the game was down to its final seconds. The score was still one-to-one. Five seconds left... four… three… Yellow card!

The atmosphere suddenly got tense, the official pointed to the left side, awarding a penalty kick to Seiso Academy. Tsuchiura went into position, ready to kick the ball while the goalkeeper was getting ready to prevent the ball from getting past him. Tsuchiura inhaled deeply, exhaled quickly and, at the sound of the whistle, gave the ball momentum.

The moment the ball touched the net, the left side of the benches shot upward and broke into another wild cheer. Seiso Academy was in the lead.

The rest of the game was then consumed and the Championship trophy was awarded to the players in blue. Tsuchiura once again went to the benches.

"There, my winning shot," he proudly announced to Hino.

"Congratulations, Tsuchiura-kun!" She never intended to do it, but out of reflex she ran to him and hugged him.

Tsuchiura was knocked for six but after a few moments he mentally kicked himself taking him back to reality. "A-ano, Hino, I'm wet."

At this, Hino let go, put her hands to each of her blushing cheeks and said, "So-sorry. I didn't mean to."

"That's alright." He bent down so that his head was level to hers and put his hand on her hair just like what he always did. "Let me go and take a shower first then we'll leave. Meet me at the gates after thirty minutes, okay?"

"Okay! I'll take a walk around for now then."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They separated and Hino decided to go visit the garden near the bell monument since Amou went to the journalism club's room to start working on her article. When she arrived there, she sat on one of the benches and savored the blowing wind with her eyes closed.

"Enjoying the moment, I guess?" Yunoki walked over to where she sits. An evil expression was playing in his face.

One moment, her eyes were shut, the next they were wide open because of shock. "Yunoki-senpai!"

"My, my Kahoko. I have to tell you, I've really been disappointed today. First, you hugged him and now, you greet me with that expression of yours. You're not even offering me a seat."

"Senpai, I – " Hino was not able to finish what she was about to say. Yunoki sat beside her and pulled her into a tight hug.

It lasted for only three seconds but Hino felt like the time had stopped for them. He released her from the embrace only to put his right hand on her jaw, his left on one of her shoulders. Although this was not tight, she dared not to move or perhaps she was frozen in shock.

"Kahoko, you really annoy me. Be thankful I'm busy or you are going to spend your day paying for your mistakes," he whispered to her, his lips only centimeters away from her cheek. When he got contented with the look on Hino's face, he stood up and left for lunch.

Hino was only brought back to her senses when a cat sat on her lap. A good five minutes had passed since Yunoki went away.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tsuchiura-kun, sorry I'm late!" She apologized as she got near the gates.

"Just like always… I'm late myself. Buchou insisted to have a victory talk. Shall we get going then?"

"Ha-hai!" She smiled as they walked side by side. Every time she was with him, a feeling of comfort washes through her body. She felt safe with him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 'celebration' was held at the shopping district. They ate burger and drank strawberry milkshake. They walked around while cooling themselves with ice-lollies and talked about tons of things. It was then they noticed that the sky turned dark which was unusual at two in the afternoon. The sun was no longer visible for clouds had begun to gather themselves at the space above them.

"Looks like it's going to rain. Hey, come with me." Tsuchiura offered his hand to her.

"Where are we going?"

"We shall find shelter." He pulled her to the direction opposite of where they were initially going.

They passed through alleys, turned right and left until Hino saw the familiar music shop. They finally arrived at Minami's Music Store when it started to drizzle.

"Oh, Ryou and Kahoko-san. Good day," the store owner greeted them.

"Good day to you, too," they answered in chorus.

"Do you mind?" Tsuchiura asked the owner referring to the shiny black grand piano sitting at the heart of the store.

The store owner brushed the surface of the piano with his hand. "Go ahead. It might have missed you. It's been quite a while since you last visited."

"Hino, now you have the chance to ask me to play whatever you want to hear." He cracked his knuckles as he sat on the stool. "Limited time offer."

Hino's lips pouted as she thought of what she piece she would like him to play. "Liebestraum, please."

With that, Tsuchiura stretched his fingers and started the piece. The sweet melody drifted through the whole store and outside where the heavy rain drops fall from the crying sky. He played piece after piece with great enthusiasm. It was evident that he was enjoying what he was doing. When he finished another song, he asked her what to play next.

"I would like to hear the first piece I played with you, then. Loath to Depart," she said cheerfully.

Tsuchiura started playing and the gentle sound filled the air once more.

"Loath to Depart. That's right. As long as I don't close off the road, it'll stay open. It will not be a farewell. It'll just be another start. I'll keep it open until he comes back again," she thought while getting absorbed to the beautiful music.

"Hino. Hino!" He called when he finished playing and noticed that she was spacing out, yet again.

"Wha-what? Sorry, I guess I got too absorbed to the music."

"What do you want to hear next?"

At that moment, she remembered one thing that came with what she was thinking a while ago. "Tsuchiura-kun. Sorry I just remembered something. I need to go now." She hastily stood up from her seat and proceeded to the door.

"Wait! It's already dark and still raining. Let me accompany you home," he offered.

"No, I'm not going home yet. I just remembered that Tsukimori-kun is expecting me today. I will drop by their home first."

The pianist's joyful mood vanished at the mention of Tsukimori but he insisted on accompanying her. And so they walked together under the shelter of a big umbrella lent to them by the store owner. They were not talking. The guy was not in the mood for that. The silence was only broken when they were already standing on the gates of the mansion. The rain had finally subsided.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're here," Hino announced as she rang the door bell.

A few minutes later, the front door opened, revealing Tsukimori. He slowly made his way through the lawn and opened the gates with grace. It surprised him that Hino was not alone.

"Hino, come in… and you too if you want." He did not even look at Hino. His eyes were focused on the guy beside her. His glare was sharp.

"A-ano, Tsukimori-kun, I hope you don't mind Tsuchiura-kun. He offered to accompany me here." Hino tried to ease the tension she felt.

"Get in."

The three of them approached the front door but before Tsukimori opened it, Tsuchiura stopped walking.

"I want to talk to you, Tsukimori."

"Fine. Hino you can find the blue Vivaldi CD in the room nearest to the right side of the stairs. It's at the shelf. Go ahead. We'll talk."

"Okay. I'll go in now."

When Hino closed the door of the said room, Tsukimori turned to face Tsuchiura. "What do you want?"

"Great plan, smarty pants."

"What are you trying to point out?"

"I hope you succeed with whatever you're planning to do. I hope Hino benefits from it really well."

"Get your nose out of somebody else's business." And with that, Tsukimori turned his back from Tsuchiura.

"The gift of evasiveness! You really use it well."

"Are you coming in or what?"

Tsuchiura went towards the door after Tsukimori. If it was not for Hino, he would not have dared to set foot in this place at all.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the room, Hino found the shelf of CDs. It was a different shelf from the last time she came here, another music library. It was made out of Brazilian rosewood and treated with dark, glossy varnish. The lower half of the shelf were four large drawers while the upper half were seven glass-door cells, the height of each was just enough to fit a CD case.

Every cell in display was filled with various CDs from different musical genre except the fourth one. Rather, it was three-fourths full on the left side. The right side was occupied by a sole thing. Hino would not have paid any interest to it but she found the CD she was looking for occupying the last place in that row.

She carefully opened the glass door and took out the CD. When her attention focused on the thing, she noticed that it takes the shape of a violin case. She admired the six-inch, intricately, hand-crafted artwork. The outside surface was lined with faux leather. It had hinges on one side and three silver metal locks on another. It was very good miniature version of a hard case. She was about to take hold of it when the door opened revealing the two guys, Tsukimori in the front.

"Don't touch that!" Tsukimori shouted, more cautious than angry.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to…" she blurted in surprise.

"…Did you find it?"

"Ye-yes. It's this, right?" She showed him the CD.

"Yes. Listen to it. It'll help you learn the piece."

"Are we done now?" Tsuchiura eyed Tsukimori. He felt left out of the conversation.

"Well, we'd better be going, Tsukimori-kun. Thank you for this."

"Hino," Tsukimori called just as the visitors were about to step out of the gates.

Hino stopped and looked at him while Tsuchiura went ahead.

"Practice really well. You need it." Tsukimori uttered the words with much concern as he could muster.

"I'll do my best." She bowed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At home after dinner, Hino went to her room to get on her night clothes when her phone rang. "Hello?" she asked tentatively.

"Hino, this is Aoi. Sorry, I have to call you this late at night."

"Oh, Kaji-kun," with recognition, her voice flowed naturally; "It's fine. What's the matter?"

"Well, it's about our day out tomorrow. I was just told that our family is to attend some exclusive government meeting slash gathering tomorrow at Tokyo so I wouldn't be in for the whole day."

"Wow, a government meeting? That's really cool, Kaji-kun."

"It's not, believe me. What with all the formalities and everything. Anyway, I'm sorry to bail out on you on such short notice."

"That's alright. I don't mind."

"Hey, don't be all too comfortable. You still owe me a date."

"I'm not the one who chickened out this time!" She mocked an angry tone.

"If you don't go out with me, I'll have you kidnapped by men in tux, take you away by a flying machine, take you to a dilapidated building and feed you strawberry milkshakes until you say yes," he jokingly threatened.

"Straweberry milkshakes? I would love that." They laughed.

"This is already taking too long. You should rest now. Sorry, again"

"I told you, it's alright. Well, then, good night."

"Good night, Hino." He hung up.

"So, I guess I'm free tomorrow. I'll listen to this first before I turn in," she said to herself as she took the portable CD player out of her bedside drawer, loaded the CD she borrowed from Tsukimori, put the attached headphones to her ears, and pressed play.

The CD contains a collection of Vivaldi's composition. It started off with his famous composition, Spring, which was a part of the concerti entitled The Four Seasons. She listened to the next three tracks with great interest. It depicted the three other seasons that completed the concerti. Then the fifth track began. It started out slow, slow but energetic. The music was passionate and dramatic. It was rich and colorful. It began to go faster as it reached the middle, the climax. The notes climbed up and down. Then it started to slow again until it stopped.

All the while, she pictured herself pulling the bow over the strings, following the rhythm of the song in her ears. With that, came happy thoughts: her family, the first time she played the violin, the concours, her friends and so much more. It was as if the music was telling her to reminisce the good times, to remember them.

While listening, she could not help but notice that the sound was familiar except that it sounded with another set of violin playing. It intrigued her so she took hold of the CD case and looked at the track listing.

"Fifth track, fifth track," she whispered as she scrolled her finger down the list. "Concerto for Two Violins: Largo," she paused, "So that's how it's supposed to sound."

She stopped there. Her eyes were already feeling heavy so she decided to call it a day.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today was chilly even though the sun was shining brightly; a sign that autumn was just around the corner. The park was always filled with people on Sundays. You could see families strolling around, friends happily chatting in the benches, vendors walking around with their products. It gave Hino a hard time finding a quiet spot to practice.

When she reached the shade of the trees which started to wither near a seemingly empty high-backed bench, she carefully put down her violin case and started to take off her gloves. When she finished, she knelt down and opened the case to retrieve her bow. She tightened the screw and applied rosin. Then she took out her violin and stood up.

She straightened her back, tucked the violin under her chin and placed the bow over the strings. She closed her eyes and started to remember the song she listened to last night. Then she began play.

Halfway through, she lost focus on playing when her mind started to wonder why Tsukimori would have her perfect the piece within a week. A screech and an unexpected comment brought her back to her senses.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** The rights pertaining to La Corda d'Oro or to any of its characters aren't mine. (Can no longer think of another segue.)

But the show must go on…

**Chapter Six**

The trees ruffled as the strong, chilly wind blew. Orange leaves fell on the already crowded ground. Hino was stunned to hear a low sound coming from the nearby bench.

"God, why is it so hard to find a good spot to sleep these days." The guy in the bench which Hino thought to be empty rose to a sitting position. Then he turned to Hino's direction. "Hey, miss, can't you see I'm sleeping in here? Or you think that it's nice to wake up to your music?" He looked at her with such abhorrence that she could not utter a single word. "If I hadn't woken up, who knows I might have nightmares." He got up to his feet and exited like some royalty.

He might be rude but Hino could not help but notice the fact that he was good-looking. He got fair skin and beautiful, sparkling, yet loathing, eyes. The last, she assumed, was because he was angry. If she was right, he was as tall as Tsuchiura. With the way he walked and dressed, it could be concluded that he came from a rich family. She might not be that kind of girl who focuses on physical appearance, but then again, it could not be helped.

Once she got over the experience, she tried to focus on playing again. She played until her arms were too tired to be held up. By the end of the day, she made four rounds without mistake. A progress she should be proud of.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was lunch time at Seiso Academy and students form groups either to share the day's experience or eat their bentos together. One group in particular was composed of students with various personalities, Hino's group. They formed a circle under the shade of a large oak tree. There was Hino, Nao, Mio, Amou, Tsuchiura, Kaji, Hihara, Fuyuumi, and Shimizu. The last two was dragged by Hihara when he saw them in the corridor of the first years' classrooms.

"I wonder if Yunoki will be able to catch up. He's really busy with student council matters." Hihara managed to say after stuffing his mouth with a huge set of mochi.

"Yup, that guy is really trying to make things for the festival perfect. Trying to make it just like him," Amou spoke.

"That. Reminds. Me. I wonder why Kahoko-senpai isn't at the practice last Friday." Shimizu spoke at his usual pace.

"Yeah, I wondered about that, too," Hihara said.

"A-ano, didn't… didn't Kanazawa-sensei said she's excused?" Fuyuumi faced her senpais.

"Eh! You had practice last Friday?"

"What, you didn't know, Hino? Kanazawa-sensei gathered everyone after class in such a short notice. I wasn't able to attend because of the soccer team meeting, though. It was so sudden, believe me," Tsuchiura said.

"No, I was not informed. And you said I'm excused?" It was like magic. She half lied to her mum about a sudden practice called for by the festival administrator and now she was informed it was true.

"H-Hai," Fuyuumi confirmed.

"But, but, I haven't even had the chance to talk to him last Friday."

"Really? That's amazing. I thought you talked to him since he knew you're with Tsukimori," Kaji interjected.

"You're with Tsukimori?" Takato and Kobayashi chorused.

"Ah, the violin romance." Amou joined in the conversation.

"It's not like that! We're practicing."

"Oh, that." Tsuchiura sounded like he knows what is going on.

"He even said that we should not bother you. I think he also said something about you not being included in our performance anymore," Kaji added.

"Is that true? Kaho-chan is not performing with us. I didn't hear Kanayan say that." Hihara frowned.

"Me too," Shimizu agreed.

"That's because you're late senpai, and you're sleeping, Shimizu," Kaji told them.

"Oh right. I was dreaming about strings orchestra playing and notes and…" Shimizu trailed off.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Right after dismissal, Hino hurriedly left to find Kanazawa-sensei. She needed to know why she got kicked out of the performance. Her thoughts crossed somewhere between the lines of 'maybe I'm bringing everyone down' and 'maybe someone wants me out of the performance just like in the first selections'.

"Excuse me, sensei. Can we talk?" She found him outside the music department building, feeding the cat.

"If you need advice about the end-of-term exams, I'm busy," he said, uninterested.

"No, it's not about that. It's – "

"Money? I'm busier"

"No not that either. I –"

"If you want to talk about love life, you need to know that I'm the busiest person in the world."

"It's not that, sensei. I want to know why I was taken out of the performance for the festival," she said quickly, afraid that she might get interrupted again.

"Oh, that. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Heh…" She sweat dropped.

"You're not taken out. The program has just been changed, that's all," he explained.

"What? I'm still performing, but not with the oke?"

"There, there. You're intelligent after all". He stood up, faced her and patted her head.

"But, who am I going to perform with, sensei?"

"I have no idea. They only said that I don't have to include you with the others. Well, I have important things to do now. The best thing to do is just practice." He left her clueless.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino's chest felt really heavy. She thought talking to Kanazawa-sensei would clear things up but it ended raising more questions: who decided to make her perform solo; what is she going to play; who changed the program?

She walked to where her feet dragged her, somewhere she felt peaceful. When she looked up, the door that led to the rooftop faced her. She decided to practice there since Tsukimori said he would be late again for their session.

If she was going to play solo, it better be a piece she knew so well. She tried playing Pachelbel's Canon first, and then proceeded to playing Loath to Depart and Gavotte. She played Ave Maria next. Then she closed her eyes and started to play Vivaldi's Largo.

"It's really nice listening to senpai's music" a slow, tired voice suddenly spoke.

Hino looked beyond the corner and found Shimizu, his eyes still droopy. "Sorry, Shimizu-kun. Did I wake you up?"

"Ha… it's great waking up to senpai's music."

"Re-really?"

"It gives me good dreams: the sunshine; flowers; green fields; flowing water," he enumerated dreamily.

Whoa! That rang a bell. In a different note, though. _"Hey, miss, can't you see I'm sleeping in here? Or you think that it's nice to wake up to your music? If I hadn't woken up, who knows I might have nightmares."_ She could still remember the piercing stare of the guy who said that to her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two days passed in the same pattern for Hino: wake up, attend classes, practice with Tsukimori, go home, sleep. Thursday was a little different, though. The school festival began today.

The festival was a two-day celebration wherein no classes would be held. In the first day, the classes of the general education department were in charge of different booths. Students and visitors were free to roam around campus and try out the various attractions. On the second day, volunteers from the music department would conduct a group music class in the morning. Those who want to learn to play an instrument should sign up for the class of their choice and attend a five-hour long session. In the evening, the annual night concert will be held. This was the night where chosen students from the music department showcase their talents. It was something compared to a recital.

It was already Thursday evening but Hino still had not found any answer to the questions which bothered her. What was she going to play tomorrow? Would she even be called on stage to perform?

"Perfect," Tsukimori tediously commented on Hino when she finished playing.

"Thank you for the CD you lent me. It's really been a great help."

"That's good."

"Tsukimori-kun, you've been spending all your time this week to teach me. I wonder if you're ready for your performance for tomorrow. Shouldn't you be practicing your piece tonight?"

"We are already practicing our piece" he said indifferently as he took his violin out of its case and got into position. "On the count of four…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** La Corda d' Oro or any of its characters aren't copyrighted under my name.

**Chapter Seven**

"We are already practicing our piece. On the count of four..," he said indifferently as he placed the bow over the strings.

The sudden turn of events took Hino by surprise. "Wha-what?" She was taken aback that she held her violin in a very poor posture.

Tsukimori stopped counting. "Hino, how are we going to play if you held your violin like that?" he said gently. He put down his violin on his chair, closed the distance between them in three graceful strides, held Hino's left wrist with his right hand and placed his left on her right shoulder. "It's sticking out too much you'll put pressure to it. And your shoulders should be relaxed. They're too stiff."

They practiced over and over, proceeding from one measure to the other. Amazingly, they started to sound like the recording. It was as if she was listening to the CD every time now that it was a real duet.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At six-thirty, Tsukimori called it a day, that they should already rest, and offered to walk Hino home once again. They walked in silence under the starry sky. Only the hustle and bustle of the busy city was the sound the surrounded them.

Without any idea on how they got there, they found themselves already outside the perimeter of the amusement park. It seemed that they took the longer route to Hino's home.

"Otou-san!" A cry and Tsukimori felt his leg got heavy.

Both looked down and found a boy, about four years of age, standing there, clinging to Tsukimori's right leg.

"…"

The boy glanced up to the towering figure beside him. The lack of response from the tall man made him realize that he was mistaken. "You're not Otou-san."

"I'm not," he said apathetically.

"And you're definitely not Okaa-san." He faced Hino.

"Nope. You look lost. What's your name?" She bent down so that her head was almost level to the child's.

"Kentaro."

"May I call you Ken-chan?"

The boy nodded uncertainly in response to the scarlet-haired stranger.

"How'd you got separated from your parents?" she inquired.

"Well… I saw Ice cream-kun and I followed him… thought he'd give me ice cream," Kentaro answered, his fore finger on his cheek.

"Tsukimori-kun, we cannot leave him here. We have to find his parents."

"Fine."

The three of them walked to the park. They made a few rounds but the area was just too big to be covered within minutes. With her feet feeling sore, Hino suggested that they go back to the ice cream store, since that was the place where the kid got lost.

They seated themselves at the table farthest from the store. It was a small station that sells ice confectionaries ranging from ice lolly to snow cone to ice cream. The dining area was made up of at least seven umbrella-shaded tables with four to six matching chairs each.

"I thought he'd give me ice cream…" Kentaro whispered, undeniably upset.

"Ken-chan, do you really like ice cream?" Hino smiled at the kid.

"Yes."

"You know I like them, too."

"Really? But because of ice cream-kun, I got lost." His lips pouted into deeper disappointment.

"It's not the mascot's fault," Tsukimori said without even looking at the little boy sitting across him.

The kid looked at Tsukimori and tears started to form in his eyes. A few deep breaths later, he began to cry. Without a word, Tsukimori stood up and left.

"Wait Tsukimori-kun," Hino called but apparently she was not heard. She turned to the wailing kid and thought of comforting words. "Ken-chan please stop crying. I know he doesn't mean that." She exhausted all efforts to make him stop. Finally, she realized that her labors were useless. She rested her head and arms on the table as if to sleep. It was really taxing her out.

"Here," a voice said. "Here." The weeping stopped in an instant.

Who made Ken-chan stop? Hino raised her head in curiosity. Then she saw him, his eyes, gentle, and his voice, tender.

"It's for me?" Kentaro asked in a hoarse voice.

He nodded once. "Hino, here." A blushing Tsukimori offered her a cup of blueberry ice cream.

"Tha-thank you, Tsukimori-kun." Her cheeks responded to the redness of his cheeks.

Recovering from his feat, Kentaro swallowed a spoonful before he asked Hino. "Onee-san, what's your name?"

"I'm Hino Kahoko. Just call me Kaho, Ken-chan."

"And onii-san?"

"…"

"Ah, he's Tsukimori-kun. Tsukimori Len."

"Heh, why does Kaho-nee-san calls onii-san Tsukimori-kun? Len-nii-san is a beautiful name. Right Len-nii-san?"

"I don't know," he spoke impassively.

"And why does Len-nii-san calls Kaho-nee-san Hino? Mama and papa call each other by their first names. I thought all couples do that."

"Eh, Ken-chan, it-it's not like that." She slightly jumped up from her seat in alarm. Her cheeks grew even redder with what this kid was saying.

"Huh? It's easy to say L-E-N, you know," the child pushed innocently.

Tsukimori turned away from them, trying to block out their conversation, which was really impossible. Kentaro's voice was too loud and from the corner of his eye, he could see her flustered reaction.

"Len-nii-san really looks like Otou-san," Kentaro told Hino.

Kentaro must be right. Now that Hino looked at Tsukimori and the kid beside him, one could really mistake them as blood related. The blue hair, stunning eyes, shape of the face, fair skin, all were highly identical.

Not too often, people passed by their table. A certain pair of ladies aged forty or something walked by with their heads huddled closely and gave comments not minding being overheard by the subject of their discussion.

"Look at them, Kimiko-san. Such a young couple." The lady in pink looked at the group with disgrace.

"Ah, the youth these days, they don't know what they're getting into until they are already there." The lady called Kimiko agreed with the same degree of shame her companion had expressed.

With this, Tsukimori put a hand on his forehead. "Great. Just great," he thought ruefully.

"Kentaro!" Two voices from not far away shouted. A couple in their mid-thirties hurriedly approached the table where Hino, Kentaro and Tsukimori were sitting.

"Kentaro! Oh my! We've been looking all over for you." The mother hugged his son tightly.

The lady, as Hino observed, was very sophisticated. She had shoulder-length, blonde hair, golden eyes, slightly round face and a proportionate figure. She stood about five-feet, seven-inches and wore her clothes with such elegance.

"I suppose you two are the ones who took care of him? Thank you," the man spoke to the two students.

Hino's attention was now directed to Kentaro's father. No wonder Kentaro had mistaken Tsukimori for his father. Similar azure hair, almost the same height, same body build. It might even be possible that Tsukimori might look like this in his thirties.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san, they're my new friends, Kaho-nee-san and Len-nii-san," Kentaro introduced.

"Thank you very much for taking care of him, really." The mother bowed to them.

"Oh, no ma'am, it's no matter," Hino answered sincerely.

"Can we invite you two to dinner? To repay your kindness," the father offered.

"No, thank you, sir. We are already going home," Tsukimori answered with much formality.

"Is that so? Well, thank you again and sorry if this has to happen."

"We'll be going now," Tsukimori answered then started to walk away.

"Ah, sorry if we can't join you. Ken-chan is a good kid," Hino said in a fast manner as she bowed and then walked after Tsukimori.

"Bye-bye, Kaho-nee-san, Len-nii-san!" Kentaro waved his hand enthusiastically to his new friends.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two continued their journey in a more deafening silence. For almost thirty minutes, no one spoke. It was until they reached her neighborhood that Hino broke the spell.

"Len-chan is cute, don't you think?"

He blushed. She choked.

"Ah, so-sorry. I-I mean Ken-cha – aw," she tried to explain and bit her tongue in the process.

"It's alright," he said indifferently but still blushing.

"It's easier."

Tsukimori looked at her quizzically.

"Your first name is easier said than your last name. And it's a beautiful name, too. Just like what Ken-chan said."

He just stared at her, unmoving. His eyes were somewhere in confusion and shock.

"So-sorry! I didn't… I shouldn't have said that." She bowed deep

"Have it any way you want," he permitted after thinking.

"Really?"

"We're here. I'll be going now," he said keeping Hino's question unanswered. He turned around and started to take steps.

"Thank you for tonight…Len-kun!" She half-shouted as if afraid Tsukimori might not hear it. She felt more grateful for tonight than ever, the duet, the ice cream, the walk home and, yes, even for the name, too.

"Ka… Ka… Hino," he called back, surprised himself.

"Hmm?"

"…" He should say something. "… Be prepared for tomorrow. It's very important for you." He left really fast. When he reached the corner, he halted, loosened his kerchief and took a deep breath. He felt his cheeks heated up. They must be burning red right now. 'Len-kun.' Kentaro IS right. It sounds good. No. Actually, it sounds great. Great, now that Ka – Hino said it.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Babble Dabble**

_"Len-chan is cute don't you think?"_ I initially mistyped it 'cause my pinky slid from letter K to L. And then the idea came.

Kentaro. A sensible combination of Kahoko, Len and Ryoutaro.

The following are exceptions to the babble part:

I really enjoyed writing (digitally) this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading.

Thank you so much to those who gave their views on the story. Domo! [bows]

And to those who will give their views, thank you in advance.

'Till next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters are not owned by petiamo.

_**Only music can let us sing,**_

_**Only music can make our feet dance,**_

_**And only music can let our mind reminisce back to our past.**_

_**But what's important about music is…**_

_**It can be the voice of what we feel inside,**_

_**Especially when we are muted by the words of our heart.**_

**Chapter Eight**

Students and visitors who were interested in the free music classes lined up the corridors of the music department Friday morning. In the soccer field, final preparations for the concert were ongoing. The school festival's night concert was pretty popular throughout the district that was why an open ground was more advisable than the auditorium.

Everyone who would participate for the night concert was gathered in the auditorium for last minute rehearsals and reminders. All, except three persons.

"I wonder what time Kaho-chan will come. I know she's a late comer but it's almost three in the afternoon," Hihara said as they pause from practice. He sat at one of the chairs backstage.

"I miss Kaho-senpai's music," Shimizu stated dreamily.

"She's not performing with us, remember? Maybe she's practicing alone," Kaji said.

"Practicing, I agree. Alone, I doubt it," Tsuchiura told them.

"Eh, what do you mean?" Hihara asked, alarmed.

"I'm not sure but I have this feeling. I don't mean ill but do you really think Hino will have a special number alone?"

"Well, I'd love to hear that." Kaji smiled at the idea.

"Me, too," Shimizu agreed.

_Click!_

Amou suddenly appeared with her camera. She was dragging Fuyuumi with her.

"Here, stand here Fuyuumi-chan." She placed her beside Shimizu who was sitting with his cello between his legs. Hihara, Kaji and Tsuchiura stood behind them.

_Click._

"Where's Tsukimori, Yunoki and Hino? Aren't they suppose to be here?" She asked when she realized that the concours participants were incomplete.

"Yunoki is outside. He's helping in setting up the stage but he'll come here later," Hihara answered.

"How about Hino and Tsukimori?"

"Who cares if Tsukimori comes? He likes to be alone, anyway," Tsuchiura said sourly.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ka – Hino, you're late."

"Sorry, Len-kun. I lost track of time," she sheepishly said.

He turned away from her. He still hadn't gotten over the sound of it. His cheeks say so.

"That's alright. Let's start."

And so they played together.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright everyone. Let's make this memorable. Wow, I'm getting cheesy. I shouldn't have said that. Anyway, do your best," Kanazawa-sensei told the performers backstage when the show was about to start.

The concert opened with a performance from the Orchestra Club. They performed Vivaldi's Autumn, the song depicting the current season. Then, they were succeeded by solos and duets of music students from different year levels.

After another number from the orchestra club, the concours participants were called on stage. This was their group performance. They performed a medley from famous composers. They played Beethoven's Romance, Handel's Bourrée, Dvorak's Humoresque and other compositions.

After rounds of applause, the concert was down to its last performance.

"Ka –" he tried.

"Len-kun, thank you for this." She blushed when she faced him.

"Ka – Hino, do your best. This is very important for you," he reminded her. Then he thought, "Why can't I say it?"

"I'll do my best," she promised.

It was time. The emcee had just finished announcing their names. Everything went dead silent. The duet must have surprised them.

He was not nervous about the performance. Not about that. He was worrying about another thing. He inhaled deeply, and focused on the words in his mind. "Let's go…" He breathed deeply once more, "…Kahoko." He reached his hand to her, a trace of smile on his face. Now that he was able to say it, the heavy feeling in his chest had disappeared and everything went more natural.

Hino was a bit shocked when she heard Tsukimori say her name, her first name, then she took his hand and they went together to the stage, hand in hand.

They started to play. The first of the notes soared through the air and wrapped the field with the feeling of warmth, the warmth of being loved by your family, of being accepted by your friends, of being important to someone, of being imprinted in someone else's memory.

Hino felt the things she felt when she first heard the duet being magnified and once more, she was back to those happy memories. Yes, she loved those memories so she would always keep them in her heart and add more to them while she can.

Tsukimori's violin answered to Hino's music. He might not be a people-person but he also kept happy memories of his own. Time would not be a hindrance. He would spend it with the people and things important to him.

Both of them were so absorbed in conveying their emotions to music that it surprised them when the crowd broke into applause, a thundering one. They finished their piece and when they looked at the audience, every one wore a smile on his or her face.

They bowed and fireworks started painting the wide starless sky.

"Kahoko, we're done," he told her as he was leaving the stage.

"Right." She walked after him, her head hung low.

Once in the backstage, he turned and looked at her. He could not see her face so he put a hand on her chin and lifted it up slowly. Her teary eyes reflected his stunned image.

"Why?" he asked tentatively.

"I just feel so lucky. I have everyone beside me, Len-kun," she smiled. They were tears of joy.

He dropped his hand from her when a group of people came.

"Ah! Kaho-chan is really good. Tsukimori, too!" Hihara congratulated them.

"Yes. That's a good way to close the show," Yunoki smilingly agreed.

"I'm so happy I'm able to watch Hino play. That's the bright side of not performing together with her," Kaji adoringly said.

"The duet is really good. Tsukimori-senpai is so lucky. I wish I played with Kaho-senpai, too," Shimizu whispered, more to himself than to others.

"Co-congratulations senpais," Fuyuumi said to them.

"Great," Tsuchiura said.

"Ah, lucky! Hino-san, why haven't you told me you're playing with him? I could have prepared more film rolls!" Amou ran to Hino from outside.

"Sorry Amou-san. And thank you everyone. It's good to have you all," Hino told them sincerely.

"Now, now. I still have one shot. I'll take a picture."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a small dinner celebration after the concert. Everyone chatted happily with their friends. Somewhere in the sea of people, Hino noticed someone familiar. Well, not that familiar since she did see him only once. What puzzled her was what was he doing here.

She crisscrossed around people to come closer to him but he was moving a lot faster.

"Kaho-chan!" someone called to her in the opposite direction.

She took a quick glance and saw Takato and Kobayashi waving at her. Then she turned back her attention to the one she was pursuing but was disappointed to know that she had lost him.

"Kaho-chan, who are you looking for?" Takato asked as they got closer to her.

"I thought I saw someone I know but let's forget it."

"Wow, you surprised us Kaho! You never told us you'd play with him." Kobayashi stressed the last word.

"And we were together all the time. How could you?" Takato pouted and punched Hino's forearm lightly.

"I'm sorry. I was just told last night about it."

"But that was really good. Another development in the violin romance." Kabayashi clasped her hands, her eyes sparkling.

"Eh, it's nothing like that between Len-kun and I!" She shouted but was relieved that there was a greater ruckus around them.

"Len-kun? You're calling him Len-kun? Yah!" Kobayashi jumped up and down.

"Hah. I knew there is something going on between you two," Takato concluded.

More teasing and blabbering about the violin romance came as the celebration went on.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sensei, please accept her. Everyone loved her performance. You said you'd teach her when there is a great feedback from the audience." Tsukimori was talking privately with Saotome-sensei, the one he made a bargain with.

"I said I may give you what you want. I'll think about it," Saotome corrected Tsukimori.

"But – "

"That's all for now." And he left.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saotome-sensei could not hide the fact that a lot of people who watched were amazed at the duet, but really, to him, the girl was nothing but ordinary. What did Tsukimori see in her for him to be this persistent?

"Sensei."

"Oh, you came. Did you watch?"

"Yup. It's quite boring. It's all classical."

"So, what can you say?"

"Interesting. I think I'll approve."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chatter Box**

Thank you for reading. Domo! [bows]

The opening verse in this chapter is a text message sent to me by a friend. I think it pretty much sums up the chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:**Yuki Kure-sama is the genius behind La Corda d'Oro. I am not Yuki Kure-sama. Therefore, I do not own the rights on La Corda d'Oro or on any of its characters.

_How gentle is the rain  
That falls softly on the meadow,  
Birds high up the trees  
Serenade the clouds with their melodies_

_Oh, see there beyond the hill  
The bright colors of the rainbow  
Some magic from above  
Made this day for us just to fall in love_

_Oh, don't ever make me cry  
Through the long lonely nights without us  
Be always true to me  
Keep this day in your heart eternally_

-A Lover's Concerto by The Toys

_**Treasure every lasting moment with the people, who devote much of their time to you,**_

_**Sometimes it is their way of silently saying goodbye.**_

**Chapter Nine**

If they said there was a rainbow after the storm, the students of Seiso Academy thought otherwise. For them, there was a storm after the rainbow. It had been three weeks since the successful school festival and a few days before the end-of-term exams.

Everyone was busy making last minute notes and reviewers for written exams for both departments and last minute preparations for practical exams for the music department. In addition to that, the seniors were having a hectic time for their college arrangements. Because of this, Hino barely saw the music students, one in particular.

Over the past few days, Hino and Tsukimori had gotten closer to each other although they had been spending less time together. Tsukimori had definitely learned to warm up to Hino. With her, he often smiled and became less cynical on things.

Tsukimori rarely called on Hino for practice not only because he was busy with the transfer abroad but also because he did not want Hino to be lagging on her studies. But despite that, he made sure that every minute they spent together were not going to waste.

"Kahoko, it's watermelon-apple." Len was sitting on the piano bench with his arms crossed in front of his chest. This was their first practice after the school festival.

Today had been rainy and Hino was glad that after dismissal, the pouring had finally subsided. At the end of the day, the clouds started to disappear giving way for the sun to shine just a few moments before it set. Through the window, Hino could see a rainbow like a vibrant banner the sky.

"Huh?" She put down her violin from under her chin and turned her attention to him. Perplexity was seen in the female violinist's face.

"The last measure's beats say watermelon-apple. You always make the fourth note longer."

"Oh, I thought you are talking about your favorite fruits for a moment there. I'll try to remember that next time." She smiled out of embarrassment.

Len laughed lightly. He was unconsciously holding his tummy.

"Neh, Len-kun, you look better when you're less formal. You should always be like that to everyone."

"You think so?" he asked flatly.

"A-huh." She nodded her head a few times as if urging him to believe her.

"I… can't."

"Why can't you?"

He shrugged. There was one reason he could think of. "It's because you're the only one I'm comfortable being less formal with." Oh no, wait! Did he just say that out loud?

"That's… that's flattering, I think." Her cheeks were bloody red.

Len stood up from the bench and went to get his violin from its case. He stood a few steps across Kahoko.

"A lot of people consider the violin as the most romantic instrument. Did you know that?" He asked as he got into position and without waiting for an answer he continued. "It's because it has the most rich and distinct tenor. Its sound is exquisite and passionate. I used to believe that the instrument creates emotions. Now I know that the musician conveys emotions through his instrument. I want you to listen, Kahoko."

For about two minutes, Len played his violin while Kahoko listened. It was a light, joyful melody that made Kahoko's heart be in rhythm with the notes. The music gave off a feeling of yearning for the person who makes you happy, to be always be beside them and share perfect moments. The picture the song painted in her mind was that of paradise with the flowing water and greens and chirping birds.

"That was Minuet in G by Johann Sebastian Bach right?" she asked him when he finished.

"Yes, but in nineteen sixty-five, it became popular as Lover's Concerto. Bach wrote it as a sign of his love for his wife, Anna Magdalena. How do you feel listening to it?"

"It's such a beautiful melody. It's so dreamy and romantic."

"Some magic from above made this day for us to fall in love."

"What, Len-kun?"

"Oh, I was reciting a line from the song. Kahoko, have you ever fallen in love?"

"Hmmm… Is loving music counted? Len-kun, have you?"

"If loving music is counted then yes, I have."

"Then me, too. I really like your music."

"I like yours, too."

The practice continued with more talking and laughter. A less formal meeting, just as Hino suggested.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Right now, all he knew was this: Since that first duet, the night at Fuyuumi's villa, he knew that the girl was someone special but he was too afraid to acknowledge the feeling. Then, days passed and he started to know her better. He knew everything he knows about her through her music. The way she plays, he admired. Her music had became something precious to him. He knew that at the right time, she would be great.

Right now, for her, it was something like this: Since that sunset in the practice room, she loved his music. At first, she thought he was a snob but after a few times alone with him, she saw the great possibility that she could open him up, to see his softer side, the water that builds the ice. The way he plays, she admired. His music had became something that she wanted to have, to achieve. She hoped that someday, she could be in the same level as he was in.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last Friday of the first semester was almost finished. A lot of students were now gathered at the corridors to talk about how they did in their exams and their plans for the autumn break. The commotion had just been converted to whispers about a new subject when a music student stood across the door of class 2-2.

"Thank you for waiting for me Kaji-kun. I really don't know what to do with that last item in test four." Hino's voice could be heard as the door started to slide open.

"That's alright. I'm sure you still did great," Kaji said as he stepped outside the room.

"Finally, the start of Autumn break." She stretched her arms as she followed Kaji outside.

"Kahoko," Tsukimori called.

"Oh, Len-kun!" She smiled.

"You heard that! She called him 'Len-kun'," someone somewhere on the area said.

"I thought she's dating Kaji?" another said

"No, I saw Tsuchiura with her the day of the soccer championships," yet another said.

"No way!"

"Yes, it's true."

"How dare her."

"Kahoko, let's go." Len pulled her out, trying to be oblivious to the people around them.

Kaji stayed.

"It's none of your business," Tsuchiura said in a clear voice amidst the population, apparently he heard the exchange of speculations.

"You done?" Kaji asked. He nodded and they left together.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do we have practice today, Len-kun?" Kahoko asked once they were at the bridge that connect the two departments.

"Yes."

"But…"

"Again, Kahoko, no buts."

He coached her on the piece that they were not able to finish before the festival. He reminded her again and again about the things that needed improvement and complemented her when she did right.

"Kahoko, I want you to remember everything. Always keep them in mind," he vaguely told her once they were done.

"Of course I will."

"That will be all. This is the last time I'm going to teach you."

"Last time? Is Len-kun giving up on me?... I'm sorry I wasn't able to satisfy your expectations. Give me another chance. I promise to work harder."

"No, Kahoko. No more second chances." He went near her and looked in her eyes. He made a smile that didn't touch his eyes. "I'm not giving up on you. I never will. It's now time for you to learn on your own."

He went out of the room hurriedly without a second glance. Hino stood there, watching him leave. She was frozen in shock. What had she done wrong this time that made Len abandon her. When she recovered from the trance after a minute, she tried to run after him.

She felt like she was in a daze as she run down staircase after staircase hoping that as she turn on one corner she would find him waiting for her like it was some kind of joke he put on her. She knew that he was not that kind of person but desperately thinking about it gave her the strength to go on.

It was until she reached the gates that she stopped. She could not go any farther. Her legs already felt like jelly. She wanted to cry her grief out but no tears came. She could not believe he is gone.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tsukimori fell on his knees once inside the very first sound proof practice room in the hall. He had never felt this weak before. He was crying mutely, afraid that Hino might hear if she decided to come after him. He was trying to fight off the tears that were streaming down on his face.

He was so ashamed of himself. He tried all he could to convince Saotome-sensei to teach her but it seemed that his last ace turned out to be a loss. No, it was not even anything close to an ace. It was more like a joker. And now, he was abandoning her, trying to make her get used to the inevitable future that was awaiting them, the future of separation.

It was the best yet painful way to do. He had to cut her off while he still can. He needed to stop this while there was none much to treasure, none much to lose, yet. He had to let go, now while pain was still something bearable for him. It might be agonizing but if he did this right now, there would be lots of time left to recover.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino woke up the next morning in her bed without knowledge on how and when she got there. It was already seventeen minutes after nine. Her body felt heavy as she tried to get up.

"Kahoko, are you already awake? Get up now. I've prepared soup for you. It'll make you feel better," her mother called.

Downstairs, she pushed herself to eat the breakfast her mother had prepared for her although she was not feeling hungry despite the empty stomach. Her last full meal was yesterday afternoon.

"Okaa-san, how did I get here last night?" she asked with fake energy.

"Oh, you don't remember? That music guy brought you home last night. He said he went to the practice rooms and saw your things so he went out looking for you. Then he found you at the school gates, apparently out of your senses, so he escorted you home. He was such a gentleman."

"Len-kun brought me home?" Kahoko said in disbelief.

"No, no. If I remember correctly, his name is Hi – Hihara Kazuki. Right, that's his name. Oh, that reminds me. Tsukimori-san dropped by this morning." Her mother went to the receiving area. She was carrying a small package with her when she came back.

"Len-kun went here?" Panic was evident in her tone.

"Yes. You were still sleeping. He said he's in a hurry so there's no need to wake you up. Looks like he's afraid you might see him. Anyway, he gave me this. It's for you. Don't tell me you two had a fight."

"I don't know. He, he was avoiding me since last night," she answered as she received the package from her mother. "I'm done. Thank you for the meal, okaa-san," she said as she left for her room.

Once inside, she set it on her study table and pondered for a while. That was so sudden for Tsukimori to drop her. Now, he gave her an I-am-sorry gift. Why was he avoiding her in the first place?

After a few moments, she gathered courage to slowly open the white box. She was stunned to see the thing she once saw on the shelf at Len's home. It was the six-inch, miniature hard case. She clicked open the silver locks and slowly put the lid up.

Inside was a miniature cream-varnished violin, a violin just like Len's. It was very detailed. It had strings, pegs, braces, and the scroll was carved with great precision. The case also contained a proportionately-sized violin bow with what she assumed as real horse hair.

But what shocked her most was when she opened the compartment. There she found a small recording mechanism that had an on/off switch. She turned it on and heard their song. Ave Maria filled her room. It was as if he was playing for her right then and there.

She was shocked not because it turned out to be a music box, but because she realized something. She searched the box for something that would confirm what was in her mind and there it was, a note with her name on it. She slowly unfolded the note, her hands trembling. Upon successfully straightening the note, she saw the message written in Len's neat hand script.

_Kahoko, I want you to have this while I'm away. I will never give up on you, keep that in mind. I'm sorry about last night. - Len_

Stupid, stupid Kahoko! Why had not she figured it out earlier? Len abandoned her not because she was not doing well. Len let her down last night so that she would not have to be there when he leaves, a scene that would have hurt her more than what he already did.

No. She could let him go. Who cares for what reason? She just did not want to let him go. She ran down the house and went outside to catch a cab. While on the way to the airport, she felt her chest getting heavier by the minute but amidst the feeling, she found her eyes still dry.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was already three minutes before eleven-thirty when she arrived at the airport. She went straight to the information desk to find the flight to Vienna in the hopes that she might still catch him.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the only flight to Vienna left forty-five minutes ago."

Now she knew why her tears refuse to pour. It was the hope that she might still find him waiting for her. But unbelievably, the attendant's soft words crushed her only hope. It was as if those words were the only thing her tears had waited for. Very much like the green light that signaled the traffic to flow.

Tears started to impair her vision. She turned around to hide her face from the concerned attendant. She wiped the unending tears with the back of her hand and tried to stifle her sobs.

"Kahoko?..." A familiar voice called.


	10. Chapter 10

I'll be stating the standard **disclaimer**. I do not own La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters.

_**When someone leaves, another comes to stay. That is what you call balance.**_

**Chapter Ten**

"Kahoko? Hino Kahoko… Are you alright?"

Hino looked to the voice's direction beyond the blanket of tears that covered her eyes.

Miyaji was standing a few feet across her. The blonde's smile vanished when she noticed the tears streaming in the redhead's face. "Here, take a seat while I get you some water. I'll go tell –" Miyaji, looking concerned, tried to guide her to the nearest available bench.

"No. I need to go home." Hino broke free from Miyaji's loose grip. She took a few steps away from her then bowed slightly. Without hesitation, she left her while trying to fight off the tears that rendered her almost blind.

By the time Hino stepped in front of their home, her crying had temporarily stopped, although her eyes were still sore and her breathing heavy.

"Kaho-chan, where have you been? It's your turn to wash the… What the? What happened to you?" her sister shouted in disbelief as Kahoko entered their home.

"It's nothing!" She ran directly to the stairs to avoid any more questions. The encounter brought her to the brink of tears again but was successful enough to suppress it until she reached her room. And the crying began once more. She let it all out until she could cry no more.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the lasting days of the break, she kept to her herself all the melancholy this experience had given her. She pretended to be happy when there was someone with her. She did not want to give them a share of the burden of grief.

Alone, she often wondered how she could get to her goal now that she was on her own. How could she get better when she could not even force herself to touch the vital thing that connected her to Len? Not once did she open her violin case even just to look at it. As if simply seeing it was a taboo.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the school gates of Seiso Academy, students arrived in bunches as friends exchanged happy and crazy experiences throughout the one-week break.

"Hino!"

"Kaji-kun," she acknowledged bleakly.

"Ohayou! Are you alright? You lost pounds. Have you been sick?"

"Something like that… Yes, you can call it that."

"How's your vacation?"

"I don't know. I really haven't done anything," she answered. And just to be polite, she added, "How about yours?"

"Well, it was supposed to be fun but I hadn't heard your voice or music for a week so I guess it can get a passing mark," he jokingly answered.

She smiled feebly.

"Hey, have you heard that Tsukimori already switched schools?" A guy in cream blazer with a red kerchief behind them asked his friend.

"Yeah, Shin. Good for him. Now he can be that renowned artist he always dreams to be," the guy with cropped, brown hair in the similar uniform remarked.

The two music students laughed. They seemed to find the remark funny.

Hino stopped dead in her track, turned around, and eyed the latter. "It's not funny. He's not being here doesn't mean you can make sarcastic remarks about him!" She spoke as forcefully as she could. Her tears started to well in her eyes.

"Whoa, miss. Cool down."

"Hino, why are you so fired up? Let's go." Kaji pulled Hino away from the two as fast as he could.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At homeroom, the class adviser handed each junior student a career assessment sheet. These would determine the type of subjects a student would have once they enter their senior year.

"I will collect them two Fridays from now. Make sure you write the career path of your choice so that your schedule for the next semester can be arranged as early as possible. You have two full weeks to think about it."

"Mio, you're pursuing Literature? That means you will be getting tons of Classics subject. What a boring future," Takato teased while holding Kobayashi's assessment sheet.

"Well, look who's talking. Statistics? I never knew you love math," Kobayashi answered back while rolling her eyes.

"How about Kaho-chan? What will you be taking up?" Takato suddenly turned her attention to their friend who seemed to be lifeless.

"I still don't know."

"Hino should definitely pursue music." Kaji stood from his seat and joined in the conversation.

"I... I don't know."

"But you like music, don't you?" Kobayashi reasoned out.

"I do. I just don't think I'll survive out there alone."

"Hey, I believe you have talent, okay. If your problem is Tsukimori leaving you, then I can be a substitute."

"What do you mean, Kaji-kun?"

"What I mean is I can offer some help. I can't teach you but I can give constructive criticisms."

"All Kaji-kun says is 'Ah, Hino is really good' and 'Hino plays perfectly'," Kobayashi imitated Kaji teasingly.

"Mind you, they are not constructive criticisms but constructs of favoritism," Takato added.

"Ahaha, well, I guess it's true." Kaji blushed, his hand patted the back of his head.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's wrong with Hino?" Tsuchiura asked Kaji after dismissal.

"I think she's having troubles finding someone to teach her on violin. Tsukimori left so suddenly. And now she's thinking twice on pursuing music in college."

"Ha, so Tsukimori's efforts were all lost causes. I'm no better than him though. I can't do anything myself," Tsuchiura bitterly admitted to himself.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino leaned on the balustrade on the rooftop Tuesday afternoon, her assessment sheet on hand. She was contemplating on whether to pursue music in college or push herself to a different career path. The cold wind blew opposite the direction she was facing, stealing away the paper in her hand.

Subsequently, the door to the rooftop opened and the paper landed on someone's face.

"Argh! Stupid wind." His hand grabbed the paper away from his face, and he looked at it. "Career assessment? Name is Hino Kahoko. Student number, class, blah, blah, blah… career path is Humanities." He then let down the hand holding the paper, thus revealing his face to the girl across him.

Her mouth fell open. Maroon hair, crimson eyes, leather jacket, black pants, and calf-high boots. The guy she saw at the park Sundays ago, the same guy at the school festival.

"So you finally realized that you have no future in music? Good for you."

"What are you doing here?" She snatched the paper from his hand.

"Paying a visit."

"At this time? On a school day?"

"Hey, I'm on official business here." He was already retreating back to the door.

"…"

"Oh, wait. Let me check. No violin in hand, not pursuing music in college… I have to tell sensei you're no longer interested."

"Interested in what?"

"I see. That loner-jerk didn't tell you a single thing about his and Saotome-sensei's deal."

"Len-kun? How dare you call him a jerk!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who said his name." He held out his hands defensively in front of him.

"Wait! What deal? What should I be interested about?" She ran after as he proceeded placidly down the stairs, his hands in his pocket.

"Want to know the secret? Meet me after class."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a commotion in the junior classes' corridor as students started filing out of their rooms. The center of all rumpuses was a punk-looking youth standing across the room of class 2-2. He was oblivious to this, though. His ears were covered by oversized headphones, his eyes were closed, and his head bouncing to the beat of the loud music. The students were curious on what a non-student doing inside the campus.

He finally opened his eyes when the hall started to get crowded. He turned off the player, which he took out from his jacket pocket and let down the headphones to his neck. Just then, Hino and her friends came out of the room.

"You're late!" He grabbed Hino's hand immediately and pulled her towards the music department.

"Will you please let go? It hurts," she pleaded.

He loosened his grip. "There. Happy now? Can you please walk faster? You're wasting my precious time."

"Where are we going?"

"Where do you think? Saotome-sensei wants to talk to you."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He… He will teach me? Sensei, are you saying Len-kun asked you to do this?" Hino asked out of disbelief.

"Yes. Tsukimori asked me to teach you, but I don't have time so Etou will be the one teaching you instead. This is because I trust Tsukimori's judgment and nothing more." There was insult in his tone but the girl stayed unmindful to this.

"Tha-thank you Sensei." A smile broke through her face and she felt her lightest for the first time since Len left.

"You may leave now. I have more important things to do."

Once out of the room, Hino smiled. An answered prayer courtesy of Len. Suddenly, Hino could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The light that shone upon her goal.

"Ha! You'd better be good. I hate losers." He started to walk away, his hands in his pocket.

"Etou-kun, thank you."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino lay in her bed that night, listening to Tsukimori's playing. She was dreamily gazing at the miniature violin in her hand. "I'm sorry Len-kun for doubting you. I guess you never really abandoned me after all. Thank you." She mumbled as her eyes lose focus and started to drift into a sweet reverie.

In her desk, beside the pen and eraser, the assessment sheet lay containing the dream waiting to be realized.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:**I have to say, I wish La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters is mine, but nope! It isn't.

One serving of hot-off-the-grill verbal abuse coming up

**Chapter Eleven**

"God! We're not getting any farther in this Hino. It's a slur, Hino! A freaking slur! It should be played in one bow. Why do you keep on playing it separately?" Etou shouted out of impatience, the tips of his fingers on his temples.

"So-sorry."

"We're through. I can't take this anymore. I can't take YOU anymore!" He hastily gathered his things and quickly stepped out of the room without another glance at the redhead.

Was she that horrible? He was right, it was a slur. But, was there really a need to shout? For a while, she stood in the exact spot where he had left her. Her frame was trembling and her hands were losing its ability to hold the violin and bow securely. Afraid that she might totally lose her grip, she walked to the piano and let her instrument rest beside her bag.

She took out the precious music box from her bag and set it on the top of the grand piano. She had been taking it with her lately. The music emanating from it seemed to calm her whenever she was at pressure.

She carefully put up the lid and opened the mini compartment. Len's violin started to sing for her and gradually, the anxiety that gripped the violinist faded away.

She listened to it intently and as another round of the music was to begin, she got into position and played with it. She closed her eyes and let the sounds fly with her emotions. Let them fly to where he is. Tell him. Tell him she misses him.

When the last notes of Ave Maria from Hino's violin died down, books thudded on the floor. He was listening. Maybe he did not intend to but he heard it. She looked at him with obvious alarm.

"I forgot my jacket," he told her defensively although there was a tint of shame in his voice. He picked up his things tersely, crossed the room in a hasty manner, retrieved the jacket from the chair, and left almost half-running.

His heart was throbbing crazily. His hands were shaking uncontrollably. He had never felt like this before, not with the music from her. They were sad yet hopeful tones. The violin was crying, crying not screeching. He longed for this kind of music. It may be gloomy but it carried intense feelings that even he was having a hard time achieving.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Etou was a no-show on Thursday and Friday. She might have really pushed him to the edge with her lousy music. Only one session and he already gave up.

That weekend, she decided to make a trip to the park to practice. The temperature was getting lower and lower and the trees were almost bald causing a mountain of leaves to cover the grounds.

She found a quiet spot near the railings overlooking the ruffled surface of the wide blue sea. She took a deep breath, savoring the cool air. Then she got ready to play. Ave Maria was the first piece that came to her mind.

"Ave Maria? Again?"

She stopped in the middle of the song and turned to look at the person behind her. "E-Etou-kun…"

"Is that the only piece Mister Frosty taught you?"

"It's… It's something special to me."

"Special as in like the only piece you know?" He articulated every word with insult.

"No! It's the first song I played with Len-kun," she said, clearly offended.

"Tch, Tsukimori. That jerk perfectionist."

"Would you please stop calling him that? If you only get to know him better, you'll know is a good person."

"Really, huh? He must be 'cause everybody likes him." Sarcasm was obvious in his tone.

"Stop it!"

"What? You think adoring him can make you any better? You think you can ever be like him? Okay, it may be given that he is great in playing the violin, but why does everyone have to treat him like a god?"

Hino was hurt. Now, she felt so small, insignificant. He did not need to tell her iteratively that she was not and could never be as good as him. Little drops of sorrow flowed in her cheeks. She bowed her head to hide her face.

Etou was alarmed hearing her sob. He did not intend to go as far as making her cry. "So-sorry." He timidly uttered each syllable. After a few moments of watching her, he hesitantly took steps away. It might be pride that pushed him to leave her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hino, are you going to practice today?"

"Hai. We don't have assignments for tomorrow so I have free time."

"Can… can I accompany you?" Tsuchiura was standing beside Hino on the corridor during lunch break. He never had a chance to be alone with Hino since that day of the championship.

"Sure! That would be great."

"See you later at the practice rooms, then."

"Was that a practice I heard about?" Kaji came out of their classroom and approached the two.

"Yes. Tsuchiura-kun has offered to play music with me."

"I wanna join, too! I'll be coming after the cleaning duties, 'kay?"

"O-okay."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andante Cantabile's lasting gentle melody ended as the two musicians reached the double bar lines in the music sheet.

"That's great Hino. You've improved from the last time we played duet together," Tsuchiura praised the violinist.

"Really?"

"Yup! I have to say, we sound good together…," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I mean, violin sounds great together with the piano."

"I just realized…" Hino was looking down on the floor.

"Hm?"

"I just realized that I'm like my violin. To fully appreciate the beauty of its sound, you need a tune that goes with it, an accompaniment. It's very dependent of other instruments so that it can show its value."

"Hino, what do you mean?"

"I can't stand on my own. I have been very dependent of others. I know no one can live without the others but I'm becoming a parasite."

"That's not true Hino." He rose from his seat and walked to her. "You helped me, at least. If it weren't for you, I might still be somewhere, hiding from something I can't get over with."

"…"

"Hey." He put his hands on her shoulder. "If you're worrying that people might get tired of helping you, I'm not gonna be one of them. The piano stays to accompany the violin forever."

"Thank you, Tsuchiura-kun. You really are a good friend." She did not know where that sudden thought came from but with his words, she felt better.

Friend? That's, well… That's good enough.

"Ahem."

"Etou-kun?"

"I believe we have tutor session today?" Etou conceitedly announced from the open door.

"You're that braggart punk who pulled Hino the last time!" Tsuchiura stepped in front of Hino.

"Whoa, watch your words, man."

"Etou? Etou Kiriya? What are you doing here?" Kaji emerged from the main corridor. His hands were in his pocket and he was in the middle of taking a step. There was a shocked expression on his face.

"Kaji-kun," Hino called to him.

"Kaji? Hm, you're that loser who quit the violin classes!"

"I said what are you doing here?"

"I'm teaching this stupid girl how to play the violin." He pointed at Hino.

"How dare you call her stupid?" Tsuchiura balled his hands into fists.

"And who's this guy? His patience is as short as his legs are long…" Etou looked at Tsuchiura with appraising eyes.

"Please stop fighting. Getting in trouble wouldn't do you any good." Hino stepped forward to place herself between Tsuchiura and Etou.

"No Hino, he's verbally abusing you. I can't let it slide that easily. Someone needs to teach him manners," Tsuchiura said.

"Enough Tsuchiura. Hino is right. We wouldn't want to be in trouble just because of this guy." Kaji raised his hand towards Tsuchiura, signaling him to stop.

"You never changed Kaji. You're still the lame loser I know."

He continued walking towards the three. "And you're still the arrogant brat I knew… no, you got worst."

"Wait. Wait. Kaji-kun knows Etou-kun?" Hino asked.

"He used to be in my violin class, but he quit."

"I didn't quit. I simply find it no longer interesting," he corrected Etou.

"Kaji, you play the violin?" Tsuchiura turned to him.

"Yeah, dumb tree. Weren't you listening or your brain cells withered and fell off like the leaves in autumn?" Etou answered Tsuchiura's question for him.

"Why, you…"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night's confrontation could have lasted light years more but Etou was quick to pull Hino inside the practice room and locked it. The two gen ed students had thought better than being rampant and waited for them to come out. They sat their butts out in the hall, ready as ever if Hino needed help.

There was a little improvement on how Etou treated Hino. When he wanted to comment about Hino's playing, he would often take a deep breath before starting his critique. It also seemed that he had been watching his words. His terms were a bit tamer than what he used to use. Perhaps the changes were brought about by Hino's tears the last time he shouted at her.

"I didn't know Kaji-kun plays the violin." Hino told the blonde during their lunch break.

"I used to attend lesson but my heart is not really in it so I stopped."

"But viola and violin are almost identical right? You love playing the viola."

"Viola is viola, Hino. Let's say I don't really like competition. Why are we even talking about it, anyway?"

"Sorry, Kaji-kun. And about last night, I hope you're not mad or anything."

"Heh, you don't need to apologize for what that brat did. You always say sorry even you're not at fault."

"Sorry… oops!"

"Haha, see I told you. It's fine Hino."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino placed her phone and the open music box on top of her school bag, which was resting on the piano. She was intently listening to it when Etou arrived.

"Ave Maria, again. Aren't you tired of that music?"

"I told you it's special."

"Yeah, yeah. 'Cos it's Tsukimori's. It's such a simple piece. Let me show real music."

He bent down to get Hino's violin from the case and went into position. He closed his eyes and started to pull the bow over the strings.

His notes drifted with such elegance. Individually, they were accurate and free flowing but as Hino perceive the whole song, the notes sound bland and stiff. Hino is Hino, though. She always saw the good in everything.

"Wow, Etou-kun is a great violinist. I believe that was Vitali's Chaconne?"

"Right. How'd you know?"

"Len-kun chose the piece for the second selections. Although he wasn't able to perform during the program, I heard him play it afterwards. He's amazing just like you! You must be in the same level he is in."

Comparison – the word he despised the most. He had been living his whole life in comparison. From the smallest things, he was always compared to someone.

"Let's get going then." He tried to articulate each word as composed as he could.

Hino played her piece over and over again, as Etou was not satisfied. Finally, he got tired of listening to the same piece for several times in a row so he took in his hands the stack of Hino's music sheets and browsed them. "Here. Play this instead." He handed her the sheet of Eine Klein Nachtmusik.

"Oh, this. You know I haven't played this in a while. I remember Len-kun, Shimizu-kun, and Ousaki-sempai played it with me when we were asked to teach the kids. Len-kun even guided me when I fell out of count." She babbled dreamily about the long-gone experience.

"Could you play, now?" He uttered bossily.

"Hai. Sorry about that."

After more critiques, Etou finally dismissed her. She went to the corner of the room to put the violin back to its case when a soft laugh escaped her lips.

"What?"

"If you were Len-kun, you could have shouted 'I told you Hino, pull the bow steadily' many times tonight."

"I'm not him, okay?"

"But I just thought that – "

She was cut off when Etou's fist made contact with the solid wall behind her, missing her face by only a few inches. The impact was so strong that blood started to gush from his knuckle on the surface of the wall. His eyes were blazing in anger. "Stop it! I don't want to be compared to that person. I'm so tired of it." He shouted at her forcefully. He could no longer contain the fury building inside him.

A wave of fear washed through her entire body and before her knees fail her, she decided to create great distance between them. She passed by the unmoving Etou, her violin case in hand, and pulled her bag from the piano's surface not minding the things that rested on top of it. She tried to run as fast as her knees allowed her.

The faux-leather covered case fell on the floor with a loud thud together with the shiny, pink foldable phone.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hino, I tried calling you last night but your phone was off." Takato stood in front of her.

"I… I lost my phone."

"What?" Her best friends shouted in unison.

"It fell off."

"That's too bad."

"Ah, Kaji-kun, can I ask something? If you don't mind…" She turned to Kaji.

"I don't. Fire away."

"It's about Etou-kun. Does he know Len-kun?"

"Oh, that. Etou does not know him personally. The three of us were under Saotome-sensei's tutelage although Tsukimori is on a different class. That's all I know. Why'd you ask?"

"Ah, no reason in particular."

"Hino, if you have problems with him, don't hesitate to tell me. I know him, he is very temperamental. He likes trouble and all."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Friday dismissal, Hino was called to report on the Gen Ed faculty room. She took a deep breath before sliding the faculty door open. She slowly peeked to find their homeroom teacher.

"Hino Kahoko," he waved at her from his desk and motioned her to come closer, "sit down."

Hino went over to her sensei's desk and took a seat on one of the chairs that faced the middle aged teacher.

"You wrote in your career assessment form that you're interested to pursue music in college?" the class adviser inquired.

"Ha-hai, Sensei."

"Well, you are going to have problems if you stay in this class. The curricula of the two departments are highly diverse and you need certain units to be able to go into a music school that are offered only in the music department. I suggest that you transfer to the music department this semester in preparation for your senior year."

"I should transfer classes?"

"Yes. And you don't have to worry about it. I can make a recommendation letter."

"I have to tell my mum first, sensei."

"Okay. I'll come by your home tomorrow afternoon to explain things. Please tell you parents."

"Hai."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Class, this is Hino Kahoko from class 2-2 in the gen ed department. She will now be transferring to your class as a music student." The adviser of class 2-D presented Hino to the class.

"I'm Hino Kahoko. Nice to meet you all." She bowed.

"She's the concours' girl, right? The one who played barefooted?" a girl with waist-length, curly blonde hair audibly whispered once their adviser was out.

"Yes, that's her. What a shame she's in our class," her friend agreed.

"Be careful, that girl has one hell of an attitude. She barked at me for saying something that doesn't even concern her." He was the same guy from two Mondays ago, the one with the cropped brown hair.

Almost everyone in class was having their little discussion about the new comer. How she had lowered the standards for the concours, how she disgraced Seiso Academy, and the likes.

Hino tried not to make sense of what she was hearing and was at least feeling a bit lucky that the available desk was at the farthest end of the room. She seated herself uncomfortably. She could feel pairs of eyes pierce through her. To avoid them, she slouched further down her chair so that her chest was almost the same level with the desk and dared not to look forward.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wow, Kaho-chan, that uniform really fits you! You look good." Hihara could not contain his thoughts during lunch.

"Thank you Hihara-senpai."

"Ah, it's so sad! I shouldn't have chosen Medicine as my career path! Now I'm going to have more science subjects plus no Hino beside me," Kaji regretted, pulling his hair with both hands.

"Kaho-chan, how was it in the music class?" Kobayashi asked.

"It's alright. My new classmates are really… nice." She tried to say as normally as her tongue allowed her.

"That transfer was so sudden though. Kaho-chan must really like music," Takato said.

"A-huh. How about Amou-kun, what career are you pursuing in college?"

"Ho-ho, Journalism, of course! I would like to have my own regular column in the national paper."

"Hihara-senpai is graduating soon. Where are you going for college?"

"Hmm… I haven't decided yet. I'm kind of waiting for something," he answered uncomfortably while putting and pulling his fore fingers to and from each other.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading. Tell me what you think. Domo!

[bows and fades to black]


	12. Chapter 12

It is SOP that I tell everyone that I do not own the rights pertaining to La Corda d'Oro or to any of its characters.

Who is your knight in shining armor?

**Chapter Twelve**

The classes in the music department were really different from that in the general education department. In addition to regular subjects like Math and Science, the music students from Hino's level needed to attend Advanced Music History, Art Appreciation with Focus in Music, and, the subject she dreaded the most, Music Performance.

The Music Performance class was where students who major on the same instrument were put together. There were only three students from class 2-D who major in violin, Hino, the blonde Maki Mari, and the cropped-haired Kurosawa Takeo.

"I just hate that girl! She's bringing everyone down. Why, of all people, does she have to be in our group?" Kurosawa shouted after their performance ended in a not-so-good way.

"You're right. She's terrible. If my grades go down a notch, she's gonna pay." Maki could not help but form her hands into fist.

"Why wait later? If we are going to teach her some lesson, it'd better be this early. I heard she stays here until around seven in the evening."

"What are you planning to do?" She said the words in a shocked, wondering manner.

"We'll wait 'till we get her alone and scare her. That's all." He smiled wickedly.

"Hm. Excuse me. I'm in a hurry." Someone behind them politely asked to go ahead.

"Gomen." The two bowed in apology as they gave way.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Atsushi, is it gonna be done yet?" The guy in the counter tapped the wooden top with his fingers in the left hand agitatedly. His right hand was evidently sore beyond the bandage.

"Chill, man. This one looked like it jumped off Tokyo tower. Involved in a cat fight with a girl again?"

The guy named Atsushi was in his early twenties and has a lengthy dark blue hair tied at the back. He had three silver earrings on his left ear and two on the right. He had a pointed face and sapphire eyes. He stood shorter than the guy opposite him.

"No! It's… It's none of your business! Now, tell me. Can you fix that or what?"

"Look. Although there's no major scratch on the instrument, this part right here took it hard. I'm gonna ask you to buy another one if you want it to function just like before."

"Is that really necessary? Can't you just repair it or something?"

"If you don't want to replace it, this one is better off as an ornament in the museum."

"Hey, I'm just kidding. How much is it again?"

"Around two thousand yen."

"That's hefty money for such a small part!"

"You want it to be fixed or not?"

"Well, fine. How about the other one?"

"That's worse. The screen's gone blank and the speaker is damaged. It's gonna take another week to get it done."

"Can't you make it any faster?"

"Look, I have a lot of work coming in today. I am doing this free of charge for you. Can't you be grateful for that fact already?" Atsushi pointed to the line up of things behind him.

It was a small repair shop at the heart of Yokohama's industrial place. Behind the counter, a collection of broken electronics, ranging from things as small as portable media players to appliances as large as flat screen televisions, were waiting to get attended to. Atsushi worked here as part-time technician for his dad.

"Alright, alright. Thanks, man!"

"Anyway, I'm just curious. Is the pink one your girlfriend's or you have gone soft and crossed over to the dark side?" Atsushi laughed.

"You sound like women gossiping. It's not mine."

"So is it your girlfriend's?"

"How I wish." He fought the urge to roll his eyes.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kaho-chan, how's the practical exam this morning?" Hihara caught up with Hino along the corridor leading to the library during their lunch break.

"It didn't end up well, senpai. Our group was given the lowest score because of me."

"Heh… You don't need to fret about it. It's just the first exam for the semester. I remember being in your position, too. I blew too hard on my trumpet and ended up deafening everyone in class. I just laughed it off."

She could not help but curl up the sides of her lips to form a smile. Hihara never failed to lift her spirit. It was as if his being optimistic was something like a medicine for her gloom. "Hihara-senpai, is that a scholarship form from Sho Daigaku in Kōbe?" She referred to the papers Hihara held in his hand.

"Ah, yes. This came in last week. They are offering me a half-scholarship for college as opposed to the twenty-five percent scholarship offered to me in Seiso Daigaku for being part of the Oke. I'm still thinking about it"

"That's nice, senpai! Sho Daigaku specializes in wind instruments and music education, right?"

"Yup."

"So why don't you take it? Although it's kinda far, it's a prestigious university plus you don't have to worry much about tuition fees."

"I… I'm still thinking about it. Hey, Kaho-chan, mind if I ask something?"

"No. Go ahead, senpai." She faced him.

"Well, it's something like… Uhm… Aw, never mind."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Etou-kun still hadn't showed up." Hino walked into one of the practice rooms after dismissal. She had never seen Etou after that punching-the-wall incident a few nights ago and it worried her.

As she was getting ready for practice, she realized she left her music scores in their classroom. She left her violin in the room unpacked and hastily ran back to get her violin pieces.

"Are you looking for something, Hino?" Kurosawa was sitting on one of the desks, an impious smile playing in his lips.

"Kurosawa-san. I… I happen to forget my music sheets in here." Strange enough, she felt the feeling of fear slowly wash through her body.

"Is this what you're looking for?" The guy named Shin held up the plastic envelope Hino is seeking.

"Ha-hai! Thank goodness you found it," she uttered appreciatively.

"Well then, why don't you come and get it?" Kurosawa invited her in.

She did so cautiously. She slowly crossed the room to retrieve the envelope from them. When she was near enough, though, Shin grabbed her barbarically.

"Let go, please. It hurts," she cried helplessly.

"Now, now, Hino. I've been an honor student in this class until you came and pulled me down. I just want you to pay for those little troubles you've caused our class."

"Please…"

"You only need to do something for us. Then we'll let you go." Shin talked from behind her, his arms still holding her.

Tears started to flow in her cheeks. With her petite frame, what dis she have against two muscular lads?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaji walked into a series of empty, locked practice rooms until he reached one with an open door. He knew Hino would be here, as always.

"Hino!" He greeted as he faced the room and was shocked to find the room empty. His gaze fell upon the familiar violin resting on top of the grand piano. "Huh, that's weird. Bathroom break perhaps?" He wondered loudly.

He waited for a few minutes more. Kaji paced the room back and forth until he could no longer contain the uneasiness that emanated from his heart. He decided to leave the room and look for her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With what was happening, she could not tell if luck was on her side. She felt his grip loosen a bit and took the opportunity to break free. She stomped forcefully on his foot and ran away as fast as she could from the room. The two guys were surprised by the sudden attack that Hino availed some time to get away from them.

"Darn that girl! She stepped on my foot," Shin cursed vociferously.

"Darn you, Shin. You let her escape." Kurosawa berated his companion as they ran after her.

She had not noticed, nor had any idea, where she was headed. She just ran as swiftly as she could. Doors after doors blur past her as she traveled along a stretch of deserted corridor.

When the last of her strength had been consumed, she stopped and leaned on a door for support. She could not take another step. It would only be a few moments from now until they find her and God knows what will happen next.

She clutched her chest, feeling the thundering beat of her heart. Hino breathed heavily all the while tears streamed down her face.

Amidst the loud hammering in her heart, she could now make out the sounds of hurried footsteps, a pair of them, approaching her. Suddenly, the door slid open and a pair of hands grabbed her in.

"Hush…"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Thank you!**

For everyone who read and reviewed and shared their thoughts, cheers! A dozen chapters already.

Domo! [bows]

Find out in the next chapter who Hino's saviour is.

_morendo_


	13. Chapter 13

I know you're tired of me saying that I do not own La Corda d'Oro but I'm doing it any way.

Okay, no quip.

**Chapter Thirteen**

She stood at the open door that led to the rooftop. Her eyes reflected the setting sun in the orange sky. Her face was red against the cold temperature. Her hair was dancing freely from her head with the fierce wind. She was glued to the spot as she appreciated the music from the man who played across her.

It was last night that all her doubts about him were crushed close to nothing.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One hand covered her mouth while another wrapped around her waist. The gentle arms pulled her inside a poorly lit room. The only sources of illumination were a small desk lamp on the paper-filled table and half of the moon partly hidden by thick clouds seen through the window.

"Hush or they'll hear us."

Hino stood still leaning on the wall beside the door. She dared not utter a single word.

"Where'd she go?" Shin's muffled voice can be heard from the outside.

"Keep going. She might not be far off."

"Argh! Damn her."

"This is your fault!" Kurosawa shouted as their footsteps fade from the end of the long hall.

"It looks like a big trouble made by such a small girl. What have you done this time, eh?" He lifted one hand from her mouth to get something in his back pocket.

"…" She took a glance at her savior when her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and instead of feeling relief, her tears got more enthusiastic in flowing out.

"Why are you crying? Do I terrify you more than they do?" He wiped her tears and perspiration with a plain white handkerchief.

With her exhaustion, she could not think of any logical reply so she kept her silence.

"I hate that look on your face right now. It, let us say, bothers me," he continued talking amidst the lack of interaction.

"S-so-sorry," she stuttered.

"There you are again, saying that annoying 'sorry' of yours… I thought that that expression is only for me. In this case, I guess I'm wrong."

Confusion crossed her face.

"That look tells me you know I'm here." He used his long fingers to tuck some stray red hair behind her ear to get a better look on her visage. "The way I'm reflected in your wide, shocked eyes is an obvious confirmation." He let out a soft cackle. "You always mess me up."

He released Hino from his grip on her waist and slid the door open.

"Let's pretend this never happened," he told her as he was leaving.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good morning everyone! In behalf of the Student Council and Journalism club, I would like to ask your help to promote peace and order in the campus," Amou energetically announced to Hino's class, "Here are few excerpts from the student handbook about campus violence and student repression together with their equal punishments. I've also written some actions below if ever you want to report some event related to the topic." She started handing out leaflets to each student in the front row.

Hino received her copy and scanned it. Could it be? No way! There was no way he would go such lengths only because of what happened to her last night. But, was not it too coincidental?

"Well, if you have any questions about the topic, you can ask any student council officer. They would be glad to help you." Amou gave the class one last smile then approached the door.

"Amou-san." Hino ran outside the room after Amou. "Who told you to publish this?"

"Nakohiko-senpai, the student council president, talked to us after dismissal yesterday. He insisted on finishing the printing last night. He is such a pain, if you ask me. His actions can be a good example of student repression. Why, is there a problem, Hino-san?"

"No-nothing."

"Alright, I'll be going now. There are still five classes I need to visit. If you have inquiries, just ask the student council. See ya!" She waved Hino goodbye while trying to balance the stack of paper in her other hand.

Hino went back in. As she was making her way to her seat, she looked around and noticed that Kurosawa and Shin were both not present. The knowledge alarmed Hino. She had to see him as soon as possible.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah, Kaji-kun."

"Hino! What happened to you last night?"

"Wha – Wait. You were here last night?"

"Yup. Where were you? I saw your violin at the practice room so I tried to look for you. When I came back, you were already gone."

"I… I went to find something. It took me quite a while."

"Good to hear that. I was really worried that something bad happened to you."

"No, nothing like that. I'm fine," she moved her line of sight from his face to the ceiling and to the floor. She could not seem to meet his gaze. She breathed deeply and lightened the conversation with, "And you came all the way here for that?"

"It's what you call effort. Are you going to practice with the brat later?"

"No, I don't think so. He has been up set with me."

"Up set? With you? That good for nothing…"

"Please. It's my fault. I said too much about things."

"Things like what, how big his head is? I have to agree with you on that."

"No, not like that."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At dismissal, Hino left their room almost immediately. She needed to know once and for all.

"Oh, he said he'll be up at the rooftop."

"Thank you, senpai!" Hino bowed and made her way up the stairs.

She stood at the open door that led to the rooftop. Her eyes reflected the setting sun in the orange sky. Her face was red against the cold temperature. Her hair was dancing freely from her head with the fierce wind. She was glued to the spot as she appreciated the music from the man who played across her.

It was last night that all her doubts about him were crushed close to nothing. It was the first time she felt safe near him after the event following the second selection in the concours.

The melody filled the place with a mournful mood. Every note that was produced from the brass flute reached her ears with an echoing sadness. It was Syrinx by Claude Debussy, a song which gave flautists a generous room for emotion and interpretation. She never knew this was how he interpreted it. Then the longest of the note came to a stop.

"Oh, you're here."

"Sorry, senpai. I didn't know you're practicing." She started to turn away.

"Kahoko, stay for a while." He smiled at her.

She hesitated for a second then stood still. She did not know what to expect. Would it be the Yunoki she got to know in the beginning or would it be the Yunoki who loved to frighten her every time there was a chance?

He started playing another song. This time, it was a complete opposite of the melody that drifted earlier. It was a song filled with gentleness. It gave off a joyful and relaxing mood. The notes were dancing freely, fast and lively – Bach's Flute Sonata.

He looked at her tenderly with his golden eyes. His hair was silkily flowing with the air. He did not seem to mind the cold weather. When he finished, he walked towards her. "You always mess me up, Kahoko."

Hino, out of reflex, got stiff. It was always like this when something was coming. What was he going to do to her now?

"Senpai…" she said nervously.

"You looked more fearful with those guys last night than when you are with me. Do I need to remind you how angry I can be with those kind of mistakes?" He threatened her. His hands grabbed each of her arms.

All of a sudden, the fear in Hino's heart resurfaced. It thudded rapidly and stridently that it might jump out of her chest any second.

"I can only be me when I'm with you," he whispered in her ear.

She could feel his hot breath against her skin.

Without notice, he pulled her gently towards him, putting her head on his chest.

That was right. When he was with her, routines, pretensions, and traditions were never in the equation. He could break away from those standards he lived with his whole life. Patterns became a field of disarrays and he could be himself. And the look on Hino's face was the affirmation that he was free.

He did not enjoy Hino's reaction because he was someone sadistic. He loved her expression because it meant that Hino sees the real him and the fact that she kept coming back to him no matter how afraid she had become meant that Hino takes him for who he was.

"Please stay with me for a while, Kahoko." He put his arms around her gently.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**I'll blabber now.**[Skip this part if not interested.]

Begin at the end and end from the beginning.

That's how I've written the chapter so more or less, the chapter is like a major flashback.

Thank you. I appreciate the little pieces of art you've dropped (reviews are works of art, agree?).

Domo! [bows]


	14. Chapter 14

Insert the "**I do not own La Corda d'Oro or any of its characters**" disclaimer here.

**Chapter Fourteen**

Paradise.

It was the place where birds flew freely under the vibrant blue sky and the river ran down an endless path, where trees swayed gently with the wind and colorful flowers looked up to the bright sun while butterflies fluttered among them.

Hino took a step forward towards the shade of a vast tree when she heard another set of footsteps pursuing her.

"Kahoko," the man called to her as he placed his left hand on her right shoulder.

"This is a nice dream," she thought. She slightly twisted her upper body to get a view of the man behind her.

Yunoki flashed his evil smile once Hino faced him. Then, with a glint of malice in his eyes, he pushed her to a hole that appeared suddenly out of nowhere. "This is not a dream. It is a nightmare, your nightmare."

She started to fall down an endless pit. Hino wanted to scream and reach for anything that could break her fall but she realized she totally lost control of her own body.

Down. Down. Down she went.

Hino jolted awake in mid-air between her bed and the floor. She was drenched in perspiration. This weird dream had been visiting her for the past few sessions of slumber.

She stood up slowly after making sure she did not crack any bone. She turned on the bedside lamp and took a glance at the alarm clock beside it.

"Gah! It's barely five in the morning," she brooded. "Well, I better be early today, anyway. It's been," she started to count with her fingers, "three times tardiness in a row this week."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino arrived at the school gates thirty minutes early for classes. She walked leisurely as she savoured one of the few moments when she did not need to hurry to get to class on time.

"Hino."

"Oh, Kaji-kun, Ohayou!"

"Ohayou. You're early today," he greeted. "It's a good thing I caught up on you this early. I was wondering of you're free later after classes."

"Well, it's Friday. Except for practice I don't have anything to do later."

"Great. Then maybe you could come with me to the Yokohama Music Centre this evening. My parents were sent a couple of tickets but they can't fit the event in their schedule so they asked me to go instead."

"At the Music Centre?"

"Yes. It not really a big event. Just a few performances, dinner and a bit of speeches."

"Ah… A-a…"

"Please?" Kaji knelt down. "Please come. It will be good for you. Hearing professional violinists play will give you additional perspective."

"Kaji-kun, stand up! People will be arriving soon."

"Please?"

"A-alright then. I'll go."

Kaji stood up with a victorious look on his face.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kaji-kun threatened me. If he didn't kneel down…," Hino said to herself as she progressed down the corridor, "No, a threat would be something like what Yunoki-senpai would do."

"Good morning Hino. Were you calling me?" Yunoki addressed her with a warm smile.

"Ah, no, not really, of course not," she blurted in shock.

"Kaho-chan, your face says otherwise." Hihara appeared behind Yunoki.

"Eh?" she said defensively.

"Indeed, Hino. Indeed," Yunoki agreed. "Well, I am off. Are you coming, Hihara?"

"Good morning Kaho-chan! See you around." Hihara waved Hino goodbye as he ran after Yunoki.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tsuchiura, you've been in a relationship before, right?" Hihara sat beside Tsuchiura on one of the benches in the soccer field during lunch break when the sun was behind the thick set of dark clouds. The former came to find latter because he really needed serious advice. The soccer player was the only person he could think of getting that from.

"Not to offend you but since when did you get interested in my love life, senpai?"

"Well, ah, uhm… Ah, I was just wondering how you told the girl you like her." The senior student blushed lightly.

"I didn't really ask her as in 'ask her'." He put his fore and middle fingers from both hands in the air and bent it to imitate quotation marks. "It's more like, she made the first move and I just followed her."

"Oh. But you had to have asked her out at some point." He looked at him intently.

"Senpai, I don't know where this conversation is going. What do you want to know?"

"Don't laugh at me alright?"

The conversation went on until the bell rang for the resume of classes. Hihara left gladly. He felt lighter now that he had talked this out to someone. Tsuchiura, on the other hand, felt a bit bothered.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day went on uneventful except for the on-and-off drizzle that was enough to damp the grounds. Kaji met up with Hino on the bridge interconnecting the two departments.

"Kaji-kun, do you mind if we drop by the administrative office first? I need to hand in some papers."

"I don't, Hino. It's too early for the event anyway."

"Are you sure? You could go ahead of me."

"It's fine. Besides, I don't think it will take long."

"I'm sure it won't. I just need to pass this and we're good to go."

They were held up longer than they intended at the office. The only clerk was in some meeting that she turned up forty minutes late. By the time they made their way to the gates, the school was almost deserted. It had stopped showering and the clouds already cleared up in the sky.

"I'm sorry Kaji-kun… the deadline is today. I never really thought about the meeting."

"It's fine Hino. Stop apologizing. It's only," he looked at his watch, "five-eighteen. We can still make it in time."

"Kaji-kun."

"Hnn?"

"I wonder. Don't we need a change of clothes?"

"Not really. It's not a formal event. A uniform from a prestigious music school would do."

Hino, who appeared to be holding her breath, took a deep sigh of relief.

"What? Don't you agree?"

"I do agree. I just…," she trailed off. Then she thought to herself, "Luckily, he's not Yunoki-senpai who would drag me to expensive shops and dress me like Barbie to his heart's content before going to events like this."

"Stay there Hino," he abruptly ordered her as he stepped in front of Hino.

Puzzled, she peered from his side and looked at the direction he was facing. She saw the back of a guy who was standing by the school gates. The maroon-haired guy was wearing navy blue pants and white, long-sleeved, button-up polo. When he turned around, a light blue tie was suspended loosely on the collar of his shirt. He was holding a paper bag with his left hand. His right was still in bandage. He seemed to be a bit wet.

"Etou-kun…," she called.

"H-hino."

Kaji looked at him suspiciously. He stared at his face, his left hand, his right hand and then back at the top again.

The girl tried to take a step forward from behind Kaji but he stretched his right hand sideward to restrain her from going any farther.

"Hino, please stay back." He stated the words with authority.

"Hino, I'm sorry a – ," Etou started.

"Hino, did he punch you days ago?" he pronounced each word through gritted teeth.

"No. He didn't. I don't think –"

"Let me rephrase it then. Did he try to punch you but got the wall instead?"

"Kaji-kun!"

"This is out of your concern! It's between Hino and me."

"So you did?"

"What if I did it, huh? What will a lame loser like you will do? Little pacifist."

"I'm not usually a violent person," Kaji spoke as he put down his things on the watery ground and pulled up his sleeves to his elbows, "but for all the ladies who get bullied by guys like you, I can get pretty aggressive."

Without warning, Kaji charged on Etou and in a matter of seconds, his fist reached Etou's jaw squarely.

Etou staggered a few steps back before finally landing with his butt on the damp earth. He wiped the blood on his face with the back of his right hand while wincing in pain. He stared daggers at Kaji.

He could stand. He could have gotten on his feet and got even with the blonde but his eyes caught sight of the female violinist's face. She was teary-eyed and frightened. Hino was shaking.

"Kiriya, you're here to apologize. You don't want to hurt her again, do you?" Etou told himself silently. He pushed the solid ground with his hands to stop them from striking his attacker. He pushed them until they hurt so much, until he could feel the wounds in his right hand reopen.

"Etou-kun." She ran then knelt beside him then she turned her attention to Kaji. She looked at him with great displeasure. "Kaji-kun, why? You shouldn't have hit him! You shouldn't!"

"H-hino, he could have hurt you! Why are you covering up for that git?"

"I'm not covering up! Don't conclude anything based on your personal grudges." Her tears were streaming now. They were flooding her face.

"Who made the girl cry now, huh, Kaji?"

"I guess you've picked your side Hino. I was only trying to protect you."

He did not know what to feel. Inside, he was burning with anger, fuming with regret, and drowning in disappointment. He walked away without looking back at the pair on the ground. He went to the direction of the music building to try to find some solitude.

Why on earth did Hino have to be so kind to that hot-headed git? He was only concerned for her. And now, she looked at him like he was the villain, like he was some wicked fictional character who tried to kill the superhero.

She could not understand how he felt that day. He could still remember the panic that grew on him a few nights back when he saw the practice room reserved by Hino.

It was already dark and there were a few sparkles in the night sky. The moon was at its last quarter, and it cast a vague radiance on the space below.

Kaji had just finished the Science club works assigned to him and decided to visit Hino on her practice. He knew that she stays at school until seven in the evening. He might still be able to catch her.

"The logbook says it's room number ten," he proudly announced to himself after checking the list of room reservations and seeing that Hino was the only one who booked the room for that day.

He approached the room slowly. The door was open and what he saw inside gave him a surge of trepidation. Across him, to his left, a smudge of thick, red liquid which was not more than thirty minutes old painted the empty wall and on the floor below, drops of the same blood were smeared. There was no sign of Hino or any other person. He tried calling her but her phone was off.

It was a relief seeing her perfectly fine the next morning. Nothing seems to be the problem except that he heard her tell Mio she lost her phone.

"Don't jump to conclusions but," he told himself, "I still need to tell someone about the incident last night."

If there was anyone he could tell about it, the student president would be perfect. It took him quite some time to convince Nozaki-senpai, though.

"Please senpai. You are the student president. It is your job to take concern in incidents like this."

"I told you, Kaji, that unless the student council gets a complaint from the injured party we cannot put a verdict on somebody. We cannot just point fingers on anyone."

"How about try to launch a campaign against campus violence? I bet no complaint or injured party is needed."

"Fine. I'll see what I can do."

Nozaki ordered the Journalism Club for the print-outs over night.

He was overjoyed that he immediately went to where Hino was. After arriving at the practice room, all he saw was her violin atop the piano, sitting haphazardly. He stayed there for a few moments thinking she might have just gone to the bathroom. But when that few moments turned to a longer span of time, his uneasiness got the better of him. He searched for her but failed to find her. There it went again, a fresh course of panic.

How many times did he have to feel this way before Hino knows he only cares for her? It was only logical to blame Etou. He was the one with her that night in the practice room. And that bandage in his hand, was not that proof enough that he punched something solid, like the wall in the practice room?


	15. The story so far

**The story so far…**

Tsukimori already left for Vienna leaving something behind for Hino to treasure. As part of a bargain, Etou approved of taking Tsukimori's place as her tutor. Hino, with hope in her heart, decided to pursue a career in music and transferred to Seiso's Music department.

**The previous chapters…**

Hino was thankful for being saved by her senpai from danger thinking that he got as far as talking to the Student Council President to campaign against campus violence. Unknown to her, it was Kaji who did that after seeing the scene of a late night incident.

Kaji burst in anger after seeing Etou, who showed up at school to talk to Hino. He was disappointed to know that she covered up for Etou despite his rough treatment for her.

**Soon…**

As Hino's relationship with Etou strengthens, the ties with her other friends start to fall off. Will the unrealized feelings ever breakthrough or will something new fill the gap of a thousand miles?

----------

Yo minna!

I have not been updating this story for more than six months so I thought of giving you a recap and a preview. Chapter fifteen is on its way.

Oh, and I made some changes in chapter fourteen. It rests on the same storyline, although I took out some lines and threw in a few dialogues. If you're interested, do check it out.

If you want to say something that concerns me or the story (comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc.), please do.

Thank you very much.

petiamo – out!


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:**Legal rights for La Corda d'Oro or for any of its characters do not belong to petiamo.

**Chapter Fifteen**

Hino turned her attention from the blonde's retreating figure to the one closer to her. "Etou-kun, are you alright?" She was kneeling beside him, the hem of her skirt touching the wet ground.

"Do I look like I'm – ah, so-sorry. Would you stop crying? You always cry. It's getting on my nerves."

She breathed heavily and tried to fight the tears from flowing to her cheeks. Trouble seemed to follow her around these days.

"Here, take it." He handed her the muddy bag that he had been holding with his left hand.

"What's – this?" She carefully uttered the words in between sobs.

"It's the… uh… the music box. It took a long time before it got repaired so…"

"Thank – you." Somehow, after seeing the miniature violin, she felt lighter. She had lost all hopes of seeing this again.

"I'm sorry, Hino. About that, I – I really have a problem with my temper," he admitted in an unusually small voice.

"It's… fine," the words came out as whisper.

Feeling awkward with where the conversation might go, he heaved a deep sigh and stood up. Hino followed suit.

"Crap," he tried to dust off his uniform, "Can you come with me? There still one thing."

"I need to apologize to Kaji-kun first. I shouldn't have shouted at him."

"Hino, that guy can wait. He is angry. Let him cool down first. C'mon." He towed her by the wrist carefully.

"Where are we going, Etou-kun? You're wounded. We might still be able catch the school nurse if we hurry. Let her treat you first."

"I'm okay. Don't think that wimp can really hurt me."

"But you're bleeding! And you're right hand… Le – someone told me that the hands are really important in playing the violin. Even the smallest wound can affect your performance. Please…"

"If I promise you I'll attend to it later, would you stop talking and come with me? God, it's not like I really want to play anyway."  
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"Oh, Ryou-nii-san, you're home early. Don't you have soccer practice today?"

"I took the time off." Tsuchiura directly proceed to opening his room's door and said, "Please tell O-nee-san that I won't be joining you for dinner."

"Sure, O-nii-san."

As soon as he was inside, he placed his school bag on the cluttered desk. In three quick strides, he reached his bed and sat on its edge. He rested each elbow on each leg and started pondering over the conversation he had with Hihara earlier.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tsuchiura, you've been in a relationship before, right?"

"Not to offend you but since when did you get interested in my love life, senpai?"

"Well – ah – uhm… Ah, I was just wondering how you told the girl you like her." The senior student blushed.

"I didn't really ask her as in 'ask her'. It's more like, she made the first move and I just followed her."

"Oh. But you had to have asked her out at some point." He looked at him intently, just like a kid who wants to know his friend's greatest secret.

"Senpai, I don't know where this conversation is going. What do you want to know?"

"Don't laugh at me alright?"

"Just tell me, senpai."

"Mmm… it's – it's," he started the habit of pointing his fore fingers toward and from each other, "it's because I want to tell someone – the… the thing is…"

"C'mon, senpai. We don't have all day."

"Well… I need you to tell me how to confess love to Hino," Hihara spoke briskly.

"…"

"What? Are you going to laugh at me too? Haruki, Kanayan…Everyone I talked to just made fun of me."

"Confess, huh?"

"Please, Tsuchiura. You're the other one I know who had experienced being with a girl."

"I already told you senpai, I did not make the first move."

"Awwww… Please."

"I'm sorry."

"How about this. If you are to tell Hino you like her. What would you do?"

"I – I don't know." Tsuchiura turned away from Hihara.

"Please. Just give me an idea. These few months will be the only chance left for me. I gotta make it count."

"Just – just," Tsuchiura started slowly, "tell her you like her in the simplest way then wait for her response. Hino is the type that appreciates simple things. A warm 'I love you' would be meaningful to her."

"You think so?"

The bell for the resume of classes started to chime. Students from different directions rushed in to the building.

"I knew I can count on you! Thanks a lot, Tsuchiura."

Tsuchiura watched Hihara as the latter stood up gladly and left for classes.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I were to tell Hino, huh?" Tsuchiura reclined on his bed. His gaze was fixed on the white ceiling.

No matter how much he thought about what he answered to Hihara, it seemed that he did not have the courage to do it.

"Always easier said than done," he whispered. "I wonder how Sakimoto was able to do it."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bell by the door rang and Etou came in with his muddy clothes, bloody bandage and swollen lips.

"Oh, you're here. You received my message?" The busy Atsushi looked up from behind the counter. "Whoa, man! What happened to you? Have you started another war? If your parents see you like that again, you are gonna be dead."

"So what?" Etou answered stubbornly.

"And who are you? Are you his partner in crime?" He turned his attention to Hino who just appeared from behind Etou.

Etou walked over to the counter. "Hey, spare her your senseless opinions, a'right? Where is it?"

"Is that the right way to thank me for the free services? You're all 'hey, I need you to do this, do that'. Here." He took out the shiny pink phone from the drawer behind him and set it on the counter.

"Here Hino, I'm really sorry about this."

"My phone? It's alright. I have it back now. It's really my fault it fell on the floor anyway."

"So you're Hino, the stupid vio – " Atsushi was not able to finish what he was about to say because Etou grabbed a sheet of paper from the nearby pile of cancelled invoices and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Try saying that again and you'll go first before my parents see me like this."

"What'd you do that for? I'm just reiterating what you always tell me."

Hino's face filled with confusion. She moved her sight from one man to the other.

"He talks a lot about you when he's here," he explained. "As a matter of fact, it feels like I already know you through his words. I'm Yamada Atsushi by the way." He reached out his hand to the violinist not minding Etou's threatening glare.

"I'm Hino Kahoko. Nice to meet you and thank you for repairing my things." She shook his hand and bowed slightly.

"See, Kiriya, that's what you call manners."

"Yeah, yeah. As if you deserve that kind of respect. Thanks, man. We'll be going ahead." He punched him lightly at the shoulder and started to walk to the door.

"There, it's what you do best. Hino-san, nice meeting you, too. 'Till next time. And Kiriya, I already have the passes for next Saturday's event. See you, there."

Etou let Hino go ahead and waved to Atsushi to acknowledge his invitation. The sudden change in temperature stung them both as they once again set foot in the busy streets. It was already late. Street lights have already illuminated the alley where they came from earlier. People from all directions were in a hurry to catch their rides home.

"Hino, would you like to wash first? Your skirt's muddy. My home's near here."

"No, it's okay. I really need to go home now. It's really late."

"I'll take you to the train station then, it'll be faster than the bus."

The silence between them made the ten-minute walk to the station seemed longer. When they reached the ticket booth, Etou insisted on buying the ticket. The clerk was hesitant to sell them a ticket at first but sold them one eventually.

"The youth these days doesn't really mind about school pride," she said critically, "Fighting with their school uniforms on."

"See, Hino, you should have cleaned first."

"I think she's talking about you. Look at your face. It's swelling. We really should have treated it first."

"Not that again."

"By the way, your uniform suits you. You look professional."

"Blah, blah, blah… Hino, can I borrow your phone for a second?"

"Huh? Alright." She took out the newly repaired phone from her bag and handed it to him.

Etou pressed some keys quickly as the train arrives at the station and started boarding passengers. "Inform me when you get home, 'kay? It's Kiriya on your contacts."

"I will. Thank you, Etou-kun. I'll be going now. And please, have your wounds treated," she replied shyly.

"See you Monday."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning was grey. Clouds rested over Yokohama and, although there was no blowing wind, the temperature is notches lower than yesterday. Tsuchiura went to the park to take a morning jog. This was both to pay for his absence in last night's practice and to keep himself busy.

After finishing a lap around the perimeter, he stopped by the railings over looking the sea. He stared at its almost unmoving surface for a while. "Funny how the sea can be calm at a time like this," he mused.

"Ryooou!" The girl was half-running towards him.

"Sakimoto?"

"It's been a while."

"Yeah." Heavy silence fell after the short reply. Tsuchiura gazed back at the sea, not minding the girl beside him.

"You've got a problem." It was not a question. "Kaho-chan?"

"How," he turned his attention to her, "did you…?"

"The way you looked last time… at the amusement park… you're eyes, they look the same."

"It's just…"

"Well, aren't we a pair of screwed ups? I just got off a relationship last night."

"Is that what you came here for?"

"Yep. That's what I always do. Take in some fresh air, clear my mind and then take on a brand new start. So you and Kaho-chan broke up?"

"No – It's nothing like that!" His eyes widened in shock.

"Eh?" Her cheeks flared red in embarrassment. "Am I wrong again?"

"We didn't break up. I mean… we never even got together."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's… I," he hesitated for a moment, "I wonder how you did it."

"Did what?"

"Ask someone out. Tell someone you like him."

"Oh, you mean tell that I like you?" She smiled sincerely. "I guess I was just being brave at that time. Maybe because I thought friendship wasn't enough."


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:**All legal rights to La Corda d'Oro are reserved to its copyright owner.

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Nao, Mio, wait up!" Hino ran after her friends during lunch break on Monday when she saw them descending the stairs in the general education building.

"Kaho-chan," Takato smiled as the violinist approached them, "will you join us for lunch?"

"Yes, I – "

"Yey! It's been a long while since we ate lunch together." Kobayashi clapped her hands.

They made their way through the benches near the bell monument. A seat in the cafeteria would be more comfortable in this cold weather, but it was already jam-packed with students who were probably thinking the same.

"Ah – Is Kaji-kun around?"

"Nope. He's not in today."

"Thinking of it," Takato said, "this is the first time he missed class. Why, Kaho-chan? Do you need anything from him?"

"I – I've been wanting to talk to him but he never answered my calls. I'm just worried."

"Oooh, our Kaho-chan is finally concerned about Kaji-kun."

"N – Nao!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kaho-chan! Dinner's ready."

"Hai. I'll be going down, O-nee-san." Kahoko stood up from the chair, her eyes fixed on the music box.

As soon as she got home last Friday, she carefully unpacked the parcel from the tattered bag Etou handed her. She clicked open the silver locks and turned on the player expecting to hear the familiar sound she had not heard for a while.

For the past six nights, she would sit down on her study desk and stare longingly on Tsukimori's gift. Even without the lovely music, it was still a treasured possession. Having it back felt like a yearning in her heart had been partly satiated.

At times, when she got bored by the silence, she would pick up her violin and play with his Ave Maria, the one stuck in her memory.

"Ah… This is no good. I wished I could have it back," she would often say with discontent.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everybody at class 3-B were getting ready for dismissal on Friday except for one. Hihara was sitting still on his chair, his hands gripping the edge of his desk. This was the day he swore he would confess to Hino. He had been deferring this for more than a week.

The laughter of his Haruki-nii-san when he heard him practice his short speech last weekend still echoed in his head. Even Kanayan's funny remark when he asked him for an advice. Their amused faces lingered in his memories.

He was thankful to Tsuchiura, though. His kouhai's words really helped him gather courage.

"Hihara, are you not going home yet?" Yunoki sat on the neighboring desk.

"Today's the day! Wish me luck Yunoki." Hihara breathed deeply and stood up with valor. He zoomed past the desks and went out of the room.

"This is," Yunoki cupped his chin with his right hand, "interesting."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not finding Hino in her classroom, he went down to the ground floor and, among the sea of music students; he saw the familiar teal-colored hair walking four people ahead.

"Fuyuumi-chan!"

The kouhai stopped dead in her track. She was not used to hearing her name shouted out loud.

"Fuyuumi-chan," he placed his right hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly, "have you seen Kaho-chan?"

Fuyuumi felt really awkward. It felt like she could pass out any second. To prevent this, she directed her sight at her feet and answered timidly. "Se – senpai. Kaho-senpai is over at the rooftop."

"Thank you very much, Fuyuumi-chan." Hihara rushed back to the stairs and ascended as fast as his legs allowed him.

The higher he went, the higher his tension built up. He practiced in his mind the words he would be speaking soon. He hoped not to get tongue tied and ruin the moment. It was critical. It was now or never.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ahh... It's really cold out here." Hino stepped out of the door leading to the rooftop. She scanned the place as she took steps toward the benches. "Eh... is Shimizu-kun sleeping?"

Hino slowly approached the unmoving Shimizu who was sitting on the bench; the cello case resting on the ground.

"Ba – dump... Ba – dump," she heard as she got closer to where he was resting.

Shimizu lifted his head to face Hino and looked at her with droopy eyes. Then he made a smile to acknowledge his senpai.

"Shimizu-kun, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's alright, Kahoko-senpai. I am just thinking."

"Huh?" With curiosity, she seated herself on the space beside him.

"Ba – dump..," his lips popped open then closed, "Kahoko-senpai... that's the sound of the heart beat."

"What's with that Shimizu-kun?"

"Tomomi-nee-san visited last night and dragged me into watching her favorite romantic movies," he explained in a leisurely pace, "I wonder why every time the two people get together, I hear ba – dump."

She laughed softly. "It's just sound effects, Shimizu-kun, probably to tell the viewers how the characters feel."

"How they feel?" He looked intently in her eyes.

"Let's see… Well, it's like when you get excited or nervous, your heart beat speeds up."

"So, does that mean they are either excited or nervous?"

"Hm… probably. But if it's romantic movies, as you say, those sound effects are used to put emphasis that they love each other."

"Love each other?" His eyes widened, a vague idea formed in his all too innocent mind.

"Yup. Anyway Shimizu-kun, if you don't mind, I'll practice here. Etou-kun said he'll be late."

"Kahoko-senpai's music," he put his hand over his chest, "hearing Kahoko-senpai's music make my heart beat faster."

Before Hino could stand up to get her violin from its case, Shimizu rested his head on her chest. He closed his eyes and listened to her heart beat. "Ba – dump…"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The excitement and anxiety Hihara felt only made it harder to breathe. Just a few steps left and he would reach the door to the rooftop. He slowed down and started counting down the remaining flight of stairs.

"Four…, three…," he took breaths in between each step, "two…, one…"

As soon as he reached the top, he sucked in a lot of air and exhaled. He wiped perspiration on his forehead with the back of his hand and smiled.

"Here it goes." He opened the door slowly. For a second, he was blinded but as soon as his eyes adjusted to effervescent glow of the setting sun he caught sight of the girl he pursued.

"Ba – dump… Ba – dump…"

Hihara stopped and listened keenly.

"I love…"

_He loves what?_ Hihara could not grasp the situation at first. Then, something clicked.

"I love Kahoko-senpai's –"

"Waaaaaah!" Hihara screamed at the top of his lungs as his hand try to uproot the green hair in his head. Though his legs were starting to get tired, he still made a quick escape to the floor below.

"– music," Shimizu continued.

"Hihara-senpai?" Hino was alarmed by his cry. She turned to the direction of the door but was only able to catch the sight of the green head's quick disappearance by the stairs.

Hino's urge to follow was strong. She was about to stand up when she realized that Shimizu was fast asleep. His head slid down to her lap when she moved to face the stairs.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he reached another landing, Hihara stumbled over Yunoki who was on his way to the rooftop upon hearing from other students that the former was seen heading that way.

"Yunoki! I'm sorry."

"Hihara? You forgot these," he handed him his school bag and the trumpet case, "What is with that look?"

"Yunoki… at the rooftop!"

"Hmm?" He stared at him with tranquil eyes.

"Shimizu," he declared loud enough for others to hear, "Shimizu just confessed to Kaho-chan!"

Without waiting for any response from his best friend, he towed Yunoki upstairs. The latter obligingly came, curious to what had been told to him.

In minutes, they reached the open door and saw the two people seated at the bench. Hino faced the new comers while carefully holding the sleeping Shimizu in place.

"Hihara-senpai, Yu-yunoki-senpai."

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara dashed to her and stooped down so that their faces level each other.

"Hihara told me," he walked slowly after Hihara with a sweet smile on his face, "that Shimizu confessed love to you."

If she had the capacity to, she could melt any moment now, but that was not the case. Her body felt limp. There was something in Yunoki's voice that sounded like a warning.

"Kahoko-senpai," Shimizu sat up straight and rubbed his tired eyes, "Oh, and Yunoki-senpai and Hihara-senpai, too."

"Sh-shimizu!" He pointed an accusing finger at him and bellowed like a kid, "How dare you confess to Kaho-chan."

"Senpai," finally coming to her senses, "it-it's not true!"

"But I heard Shimizu say 'I love Kahoko-senpai'."

"Hihara-senpai," he said at his usual pace, oblivious to the building ruckus around him, "I love Kahoko-senpai's music. It makes my heart beat fast."

"R-r-really?"

"Oh, now I understand. Hihara, you misinterpreted something again."

"Eh, again? Why'd you say 'again' Yunoki?"

"Remember the engagement? With Takashina-san?"

Hihara's head hung low. "I-I'm sorry. I guess I got it wrong again."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hino finished tying her scarlet hair into a neat half-ponytail the following day. She turned away from the mirror and took a routine check for the things needed in her purse. After making sure all was complete, she made her way to her study desk.

She took a final look at the minuscule violin, brushed it with her hand and carefully closed the lid of the case. Talking to something lifeless may sound funny but she could not help herself. It was, after all, what she had left of Len.

"See you later," she enthusiastically bid the faux-leathered case and descended to the living room.

"Kahoko," her mother peeked out from the dining area, "since you're on your way to the shopping district, go get your O-nii-san a gift for Christmas. He just called. He won't make it for the twenty-fifth."

"Mum, let Kaho-chan enjoy her date! Shopping would ruin the moment. Besides, there's still two weeks 'till Christmas."

"Nee-san, it's not a date!"

"Not a date," her sister teased, "A guy asking you out last night, and you tell me it's not a date."

"Enough of it. Kahoko's grown up. You know how to take care of yourself, right?"

"Hai, Mum. I'll be going ahead now."

"Bye, Kaho-chan! Be sure to enjoy your date."

"Take care, Kahoko."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Etou arrived late for their practice last night. They started the session by reviewing old pieces. Etou also brought few new pieces and gave her a brief history of each. By the end, he gave her points to polish and improve.

"Hino," he started after the long critique, "you have improved by a mile. This is the best night so far."

"R-really?"

"Yup. I guess I was wrong back then."

"Huh? Back when?" She looked at him quizzically.

"You sure have a more dominant short-term memory," he stood from the piano stool and put both hands in his pockets, "I told you about how your music might result to nightmares… I'm taking it back."

She racked her brains but could not seem to remember when that did happen. He took a small step towards her.

"Never mind that," he said coolly, "Small brains tend to store so little. Anyway, since you've improved a lot, I'll give you a reward."

"A reward?"

"Yup. Atsushi's group will be the one of the bands for tomorrow night's youth fest at the Shinko area. A bit of pop-rock music won't hurt. What do you say?"

"I… don't know."

"C'mon. Meet me at Atsushi's, at one tomorrow afternoon. Don't be late."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're effin' late!"

Hino just arrived in the comfortable interior of the repair shop. The clock on the opposite wall showed that there were still few minutes before one.

"That's because you came here so early, Kiriya!" Atsushi was on one corner of the store, polishing his black electric guitar.

"Only 'cause I don't want to be late." Etou was sitting on the stool with his legs on top of the counter. His head was resting on his left hand, looking really, really bored.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," Hino bowed her head in apology.

"Let's get going then," Etou stood up and straightened his cream duffle coat. As he was doing so, he felt his pockets, searching for something. "Holy smokes! I think I forgot the passes at home."

"Way too excited, Kiriya?"

"Crap! I have to go back for them."

"Take Hino-san with you. I'll be closing the shop, now. I need to go to rehearsals."

"Wai –"

"If you don't want to wait in the streets, just come." Etou led the way out of the shop while beckoning Hino to follow him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took one bus station and a few minutes of walking to get to Etou's home. The two-story, white-and-blue Italian-inspired house sat on the center of a large plot of land bounded by tall metal fences. The front lawn was occupied by a small labyrinth made up of tulips and ornamental bushes.

Etou opened the double doors and let Hino inside. Before reaching the foot of the stairs which was in the right side of a spacious foyer, he turned left to the living area. Etou asked his visitor to take a seat at one of the leather couches and wait for him.

She sat on one end of the long couch stiffly. On the opposite end of the room, Hino's eye caught sight of picture frames of various sizes sitting atop a wooden lowboy. Curious, she stood up and crossed the room.

There were pictures of a couple smiling happily to the camera, his parents, Hino assumed. Some showed the couple with a famous television personality or well-known musician. But the occupant of most pictures was the child with a crimson hair wearing a wide, innocent smile on his face. There he was riding his bike, playing the little violin, blowing the cake on his fifth birthday, playing the piano, the flute…

"Excuse me, young miss."

Hino was surprised by the soft voice that broke her solitude. She slowly turned to the direction of the sound. A lady in her early sixties stood by the entry way carrying a tray of tea and fresh-baked sweet biscuits.

"G-good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," she made a sweet smile, "Young master asked me to bring you these. He is yet to find the passes so make yourself comfortable."

"A – Thank you…" she trailed off, not knowing how to address her.

"I'm Sayo, the care taker."

"Thank you, Sayo-baa-san." Hino took a final glance of the pictures before joining Sayo back to the tea table.

"Nobody looks at them anymore, the pictures."

"The child, it's Etou-kun?"

"Yes. Most of them were taken by me. His parents are too busy to be with him on special occasions so I make sure his parents see them at photograph at least."

"Oh."

"You are Kahoko, young master's violinist friend? It has been long since he brought one."

"Yes, O-baa-san."

"Oh, I'm happy to know that. If I remember correctly, the last one he brought here was young Aoi."

"Kaji-kun," she looked at the older lady with much attention now.

"Yes, Kaji Aoi. Tough little kids they were back then."

"But, why – "

Sayo knew what Hino was about to ask. She raised her forefinger to silence her and recited. "Aoi stopped attending violin lessons and even refused to visit here. People at the music school said that young master had been a trouble maker, always starting up fights. When I asked him about it, his only reason is that he doesn't like what they do." Sayo gave a deep sigh.

"Sayo-baa-baa, what's with that?" Etou was on his way from the stairs and stopped two feet away from the living area. "Let's go Hino." Without waiting for Hino, he started walking towards the main door.

"Thank you for taking care of young master."

"Eh?"

"This past month, he walks home with a genuine smile in his face. Mumbling about how he misses playing his violin with his injured hand. I've never seen him more enthusiastic about it."

Hino blushed with Sayo's words. She found herself looking at the distant photographs on the other end of the room and somehow, she could see the younger Etou's carefree face.

"Young master may show you otherwise but he was a good kid and I've watched him grow up to be a finer young man."

"Oi! We're losing time," Etou shouted from the main door.

"We'll be leaving now." She made a quick bow and jogged to where Etou was.

Sayo bowed to Hino as a response and slowly followed the two. By the time she made it into the main entrance, they were already half-way through the front lawn.


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:**petiamo does not hold ownership of the rights pertaining to La Corda d'Oro.

**Chapter Seventeen**

One of the attractions in Aka-Renga Sōko was the Art-Rink, an Olympic-sized skating rink with synchronized lights display. This year, the Art-Rink was a participant in the celebration of the anniversary of Port of Yokohama. Tourists and locals gathered at the vicinity on this particular Saturday afternoon.

"Would you freaking stop wobbling, Hino?"

It was their second hour inside. Etou had been trying to teach Hino the basics on one side of the rink but she still could not grasp the idea. Evidently, he was starting to lose patience. His brows started going toward each other. His voice was already half-shouting.

"But, I – I'm really no good at this."

"Crap! And I thought we were really going to enjoy this."

"This is the first time I skate, Etou-kun. I can't really seem to figure out how to move. If I put my foot like this I –" Hino slowly put her right foot in front but lost balance. She slid down and landed on her butt.

"Shoot!" He reached out his hand to help her get up. Veins pulsated in his temples. "I shouldn't have brought you here. I overestimated your capabilities."

Once Hino was back on her feet, Etou took both her hand and placed them on his shoulders.

"E-Etou-kun…"

"Shut up! Just stand still. Keep your legs straight."

Seeing that Hino did as he told her, he started to glide on the smooth surface. The blades cut thought the ice as he moved left and right, avoiding the other skaters. Then he started to accelerate, going faster and faster until the still objects started to become a blur.

Hino closed her eyes and savored the whip of cold air on her already pinkish cheeks. He looked at her calm face and smiled.

After a few meters of soaring through, the lad felt Hino's grip on his shoulder starting to loosen. Afraid that Hino would be separated from him; he stretched his arms and placed his hands carefully on the redhead's waist.

"A-ano, Etou-kun," she opened her eyes and shakily called him before looking down.

He took the time to stop gently. As they reached the side, he immediately retracted his hold. An awkward silence filled the air around them. They just stood motionless for a minute. Both could not seem to meet the gaze of the other.

"Sorry," he started after recovering from the blow of embarrassment, "I thought you might go loose and get hurt."

"It's fine. I just – " she looked to the other direction.

"I'm tired of this. Let's go. Just hold tight." He turned around so that his back faces Hino.

Hino hold on fiercely to his shoulders as he glided slowly to the rink exit.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He looked at the busy street below from his open window. Only three weeks to go before Christmas and the Viennese roads were covered with thick layer of snow. Earlier, he felt like a claustrophobe in his small second-floor apartment, which was two streets away from the University of Music, and thought that a breath of fresh air would ease the feeling of nostalgia despite its chillness.

A strong wind blew its way into his room and lifted the music sheets from his crammed desk. He quickly spun around, crossed the room and bent to retrieve the pieces from the floor. As he picked up the last page, he saw a picture from few months ago. The photo brought a wave of memory to the violinist. He was back to the time of his departure in Japan.

"Tsukimori-kuuun!"

He was already a bit flustered that Miyaji had come to see him off and now this nosy journalist was calling his name.

"Why are you here?" His tone was cold.

"I heard today's your flight to Vienna. Why so sudden?" Amou had a pen and paper ready in her hands. This would be a big scoop for the school paper. She already had a list of possible headlines in the previous page.

"I'm not giving you an interview."

"This is off the record." _Bummer._ She kept away the things she had been holding and looked eagerly at him.

"How did you know about today? I don't remember telling you."

"Oh, we journalists have good ears!" Amou rummaged through her shoulder bag. "Here." She stretched out her arms and offered Tsukimori a piece of glossy paper.

He hesitated at first but Amou gave him a threatening glare that says 'take it or else'.

"That's the original copy," she smiled, "You deserve it, being the first placer and all. Ja!" She waved her hand and left swiftly.

Tsukimori turned over the piece of paper and saw a group of people crammed before the lenses.

The first on the left side was Shimizu. Beside him were Yunoki, then Hihara and Tsuchiura. Fuyuumi stood before the cellist. The one in front of Tsuchiura was Kaji.

He paid not much attention to them. The one he looked at was the pair in the middle. The blushing redhead whom he was leaving was standing so close to him. Everyone was smiling except for Shimizu, who looked sleepy, Tsuchiura, who was looking away from the camera, and him, of course.

"I wish it's always like this," he thought, "I hope it's forever."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She sat on one of the benches in Aka-Renga Park to rest her tired limbs. Outside was colder than the Art-Rink, the latter being packed with people.

"Here."

Etou just came back from the nearby vending machines and handed her a can of warm milk tea and a pack of bread. He sat beside her and looked at the ocean. The huge orange sun was already half-eaten by the horizon.

"Bah! So skating wasn't a good idea after all." He forcefully opened his can and took a swig.

"Sorry, Etou-kun. I wish you told me sooner. I could have just said no so you had not wasted money." She followed suit and ate her share of the bread. Skating was tiring but learning how to skate was more difficult.

"I said," he smiled at her, "it wasn't a good idea, but I did not say I didn't have fun."

"You had fun?"

"Hell, yeah." He laughed. "Seeing you land on your butt was priceless."

Hino watched him. He was just like the carefree kid in the pictures, the one with the innocent smile across his face.

"Etou-kun, I never knew you played a lot of instruments when you were a kid."

"Huh?" His eyes narrowed and the joy vanished from his face. "I guess you've seen the pictures."

"I have."

"It's not like I really want to play them, you know."

"But, those photographs, you –"

"Never mind that. We'll be late for the youth fest." He stood up and threw the leftovers to the bin nearby. Then he started walking north.

"Right!" She followed him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A soft knock on the door put him out of his trance. He took a final look and kept the photograph inside the nearest drawer then proceeded to opening the door.

"Len-kun. I'm so glad I caught you."

"Miyaji? What…"

"Got an early break from school. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

He stepped aside to let her pass. He watched as she unbuttoned her black cardigan and hung it on the coat hanger. Tsukimori gently closed the door and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

"This is so small, neh, Len-kun." She scanned the unit with her eyes.

From the door, there was a small receiving area and straight ahead, a two-seat table placed beside an open window. Few feet after the dining table was a study desk filled with music sheets and other school stuff. Adjacent to the receiving area was a small kitchen: a sink, one-burner stove, small workspace and a hanging cabinet. Beside the sink was a narrow door that leads to the bathroom. The bedroom sat adjacent to the dining area.

"It's sufficient."

"So, how is everything? Your mom was really worried about what you eat."

"We talk on the phone. I learned how to prepare my meals." He put down the cup of coffee on the table.

"Already adjusted then." She smelled the aroma before taking a sip.

"When are you going back to Yokohama?"

"But… I just got here."

"Is it before Christmas?"

"Hmp," she made face, "I'll be flying back two days after tomorrow."

"Good. I'd like you to handle this." He reopened the drawer in his study desk and took out a gift-wrapped parcel.

"Wow," her face brightened, "this is really neat, Len-kun. An early Christmas present?"

"Yes. Please handle it with care. I don't want Kahoko to receive it broken."

"Hino-san?"

"Please, hand it to her when you go home."

"O-of course. I will."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinko area was twenty minutes away from Aka-Renga Sōko. When they reached the place, it was already filled with teenagers, mostly guys who were sporting a punk look. The ladies Hino saw wore mini-skirts, knee-high boots and body-hugging shirt under leather jacket. She, too, was wearing something identical: A knee-length denim skirt, a brown knee-high leather boots but instead of a shirt and jacket; she was wearing an orange, long-sleeved turtleneck.

It was her first time to attend this kind of gatherings so she looked left and right as she walked behind Etou. As the crowd thickened, he held her hand to make sure she would not get lost.

Once they reached the entrance to the venue, he showed the passes to the attendant and walked in. The venue measures almost like a soccer field. At the farthest corner is a huge stage where the band fest will take place. The side nearest to the entrance is lined up with different booths: souvenir shops, photo booths, snack bars. Youth fest is celebrated to recognize the talents and skills of the younger generation.

"Hino, do you like pop-rock music?"

"I used to listen to some of it before I got busy with my violin. I like what I hear on most animés I watched."

"That's good. 'Cause I was thinking whether you'd enjoy this."

"I'm already having a great time, Etou-kun. Thank you."

The show started at exactly six in the evening. The sky is already dark and cloudy. Every amateur band is given three performances. The bands are made up mostly of four people: a front man, a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. Others have an extra guitarist, while some are a member short.

Hino lost count of the bands when Atsushi's group came on stage.

"Wow, Yamada-kun looks like a different person onstage."

"Yep, he's very serious about his music. His father didn't want him to pursue this but he does it anyway. It's his passion."

_hateshinai kimi no moto e_

_dore kurai chikazuita darou_

Hino said nothing.

_right side of the dream_

_left side of the truth_

_show me the way_

"Hino, you should do the same. Fight the odds and win your dream."

_kanawanu sekai e kimi yo hanatte_

_i feel love flies_

_go on fast awake_

"Hmm… I'll do my best."

_tsubasa yo takaku kimi e todoke_

_i feel love flies_

_motto soba ni kite kanjite itai_

_motto nani ga hoshii kaitte saa_

Just then, something cold and soft fell on the Hino's nose but it was gone as soon as it reached her skin. The music went on but the attention of the audience is directed to something else.

_the color is singing_

_shining rain is overflowing_

_all in your mind_

_look at the skies_

_and then i feel_

_i feel love flies_

Both Etou and Hino looked up the cloudy sky and marvel on the falling white specks from heaven.

"It's… snowing." She smiled and tried to catch some on her palm. As soon as it touched her hands, it turned to a droplet of water.

"That's rare, an early snowfall."

_look at the skies_

_and then i feel_

_i feel love flies_

_go on fast awake_

_go on fast awake_

The music faded but the snow continuously fall. The temperature got even colder as thicker flakes come down from the sky. Hino started to shiver, as her turtleneck was not thick enough to keep her warm.

Etou unfastened his cream duffle coat, slipped his arms out of the sleeves, wore it off, and offered it to Hino.

"I'm fine, Etou-kun. Thank you."

"No, you're not. I don't want your getting sick be a burden of my conscience," he put the jacket on her back as if asking her to put it on "C'mon, stop being so freaking stubborn."

Hino's cheeks stained red as she slipped her slender arms on the long sleeves.

"It feels nice," she thought to herself, "really warm. Just like an embrace." She felt her cheeks grow warmer, too.

_Ba – dump_

_Ba – dump_

Her heartbeat speeds up, louder and louder. Feeling that it might jump out, she put her right hand to her chest.

_Ba – dump_

_Ba – dump_

She could clearly hear the sound of it. Her heart feels heavy. Her right hand clutched her shirt. Her knees are getting weak and she finds it harder to breathe.

"E-Etou-kun, ex – cuse me. I'll just – go to the comfort room."

"Ah, alright."

She walked slowly at first. But as tears started to well in her eyes, she broke into a run.

She feels confused. Was it a feeling of longing for someone who left or was it a feeling of welcome for someone who came? And these tears… are these tears of sadness or joy?

She stopped on the side a fancy dining booth, the very first one in the row. Hino dried her tears and breathed deeply. She sat there to rest her limbs and calm her senses.

"Hino-san?" someone walked closer, "It's you! Are you alright?" The lady handed a white handkerchief.

Hino looked up to the familiar voice.

"I don't know but it's like dé ja vù."

"Miyaji-san?"

"Oh, you do remember me though we are not formally introduced," she smiled. "I'm sorry if I was rude to you at the summer camp. I don't mean to…"

"I should be the one apologizing. Sorry if you always see me crying."

"Why don't we sit here." She guided her to the nearest table in the dining booth, then turned to the waiter, "a glass of water, please."

"Thank you, Miyaji-san."

"I was worried about you when you just disappeared in the airport. You were there for Len-kun, right?"

The waiter arrived with a glass of water and put it on Miyaji's side of the table. Miyaji offered it to Hino wordlessly.

She refused to answer at first. "I was."

"He already left then."

She took a gulp of water and replaced the glass in the middle of the table. "How is," she laid her hand on the table and looked at her fingers, "how is he doing?"

"Len-kun's fine. He's already well adjusted. He's _fine_by himself."

"Ahm…"

"He has better focus on music now. I heard that he improved even more as he has all the time for himself."

"That's good."

"He has a good future ahead of him. The future that was almost taken away from him by that…," she looked at Hino's hand, "I just noticed that jacket's too big for you."

She lifted her eyes to Miyaji's face. "It's not mine. It's Etou's."

"Etou Kiriya? That…"

"Yes."

"So you're seeing Etou now?" She pushed the question to Hino feigning curiosity.

"Ah, no. He has been teaching me since Len-kun left for Vienna."

"Oh… So more or less, you are his student," she concluded with a teasing tone.

"Yes."

"Hino! Crap! I was worried about you, where have you been?"

Miyaji looked up. "Etou."

"Etou-kun," she sprang up and bowed, "I'm sorry, I was having a chat with Miyaji and I forgot. Sorry."

Etou noticed Hino's sore eyes and turned around to face Miyaji. She, too, stood up straight. Tension is starting to fill her face.

"What the hell did you do to Hino?"

"Just like what she said," she delivered proudly, "We are just having a little chat."

"Let's go Hino. Don't trust that girl." He handled Hino by the elbow but the latter stood fixed.

"So I'm the one not to be trusted, huh, Etou?" Her brow shot up. "Who played dirty and tried to get Len-kun's hand severely injured because _he_was jealous of his skills?"

Etou halted. Hino looked at him.

"Even your best friend, or should I say your _ex_-best friend, got scared and stopped attending violin classes."

"Frack! You know not a thing Miyaji!" He balled his fists. "Don't talk like you know what freaking thing happened!"

"Think about it Hino. Mister tough guy here may not be who you think he is. See you around." She waved goodbye and left calmly

"Etou-kun…" Hino whispered.

He faced the opposite of Hino. A mass of people are headed for their direction. The music is already gone and everyone is going home. The youth fest has ended.

_That was too long ago. Hino is not involved with that. She never was and should never be.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

**petiamo has some things to say**

The song performed by Yamada-kun's band is Love Flies by L'Arc~En~Ciel. Found the Romanji lyrics and an English translation at

Aka-Renga Sōko (Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse) is real and so is the Art-Rink but dunno if it really is Olympic-sized.

Youth fest is imaginary. Just thought of it.

"_That's rare, an early snowfall."_

I've read that Yokohama has a range of six to thirteen days of snowfall annually and it happens on the first two months of the year [Wikipedia and ]. Since timeline is on December, it is indeed rare.

Anyway, I still hope you had fun reading this chapter.

Leveled up the rating [now T], 'cause Etou's been cursin' a lot lately

Domo! [bows]

_Someone forgot to give someone something._

Now, the anonymous-enabled review button needs some _a clickin'._

**Edit:**Thank you, Correction Fluid, for pointing that out. I was mistaken when I thought claustrophobic means a person inclined to claustrophobia.

About it not making sense, I have edited that part and made it clearer so as not to confuse the readers. You see I used the phrase "like a" because he feels like one, only he is not diagnosed with the phobia so cannot be called a real claustrophobe. Another thing is that he **felt**[in past tense] claustrophobic. So the order of things are felt like a claustrophobe, opened window to get a breath of fresh air, and looks down on the street [the present scene].

I hope that made sense.


	19. Chapter 18

**For my friend, Marron**

**

* * *

**

_**Misunderstanding is like a blindfold. Our eyes maybe wide open but what we sense is different from how we perceive it.**_

_**The only time we process reality is when the blindfold slips off our eyes.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Eighteen**

Throng of people slowly headed for their direction as Hino and Etou stood unmoving. For the moment, everything is silent except for the distant sound of firecrackers. The youth fest concert ended with fireworks that glowed amidst the snowfall and cloudy sky.

"Etou-kun…" Hino whispered.

Etou avoided Hino's gaze. He turned away from her and tried to calm himself.

"Len-kun's hand… you…" She is not mad. Actually, her voice was emotionless.

"You heard her say it, right?"

Thousands of thoughts rush through her mind. Hino tried to speak but with so many words, she does not know which should come out first. Her mind is not conditioned for this kind of revelation right now. She is not ready for this.

The crowd finally reached the spot where Miyaji left the two of them. Joyful atmosphere filled the air as people talked happily in sharing their views about the musical event. Others are even having a good laugh.

She heaved a deep sigh and finally forced the sound out of her mouth. "Is it true, then?" The words came out hoarse and uncertain.

"Isn't it obvious?"

It took her some time to rearrange her thoughts. Etou is just throwing back questions at her. She needs an answer. She wants to know some details. With conviction she finally decided. "Tell me."

"Do I need to restate what she said?" He finally faced her.

"Did you really do it?"

"I – I did it, alright! Because I hate that persnickety jerk."

"Etou-kun," she said with a more natural voice, "I'm going home now. I'm always ready to listen on what you have to say."

"Huh?"

"I want to know what happened. I want to understand why." She flashed a smile before turning towards the exit.

He walks five steps behind her, his cold hands in his pockets. Etou looks down at the trail she made on the thin blanket of snow that covered the ground. He had no notice that it already stopped falling.

This distance between them remained constant until Hino stopped walking. When he reached her side, he lifted his head and followed her gaze. Somewhere north, numerous firelights danced from small jars that envelope them. Some sit on the ground while others rest on a tower-like structure. A large group gathered around to admire the beautiful display of candles.

"It's the Candle Café night! Etou-kun, let's take a look." She paced ahead to the exhibit without waiting.

He slowly followed. "She's unbelievable," he told himself. "Even after hearing what that girl said, she could still act nicely towards me."

Candle Café is a winter illumination event in Shinko area where hundreds of candles containing message of thanks and wishes are lit. Civilian volunteers patrol around the display to relight those candles whose fire has died out.

"Here, Etou-kun," she offered a candle as he arrived, "maybe if you try making a wish, it will all be fine."

He took it with his left hand. Both of them silently wrote their prayers on the candle and lit it.

Hino watched as the candles containing their prayer melt inside the jars. The fire is reflected in her golden eyes as it slowly devoured the wick and finally dies out. All the while, Etou has been standing beside her, deep in thought. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie? A part of him wanted to say what really happened but he is afraid that she might leave like everyone else. He does not know when this started but somewhere in his heart, he feels that this girl has become important to him.

_I hope everything goes well.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

_"…now on local weather news," the news anchor is heard from the television of the Hiharas, "a rare December snowfall graced Yokohama fo–"_

Haruki turned off the television and walked through his younger brother's doorway.

"Ahhh… I just screwed it."

Kazuki can't concentrate on answering his assignments. He is still brooding about what happened yesterday. It was already a big mistake to think that Shimizu confessed love to Kaho but accusing his kouhai in front of her is another thing.

"Congratulations, Kazuki," Haruki came over to his study desk, "you just made the top of flops this week!"

"Haruki-nii! It's not funny!"

"Down right, it is." Haruki gave a hearty laugh.

"Ooh, c'mon! Spare me your laughter. It's affecting my self-esteem."

"Your self-esteem has been long gone, brother."

"Dude, you're so mean!" Kazuki stood from his chair and playfully strangled his older brother.

"Being mean," Haruki fights off Kazuki, "is a part of my job as your older brother."

"You just wait! I'll just make her forget about this and then I'll confess to her!"

"I'm waiting."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh my god, is she Shimizu-kun's girl now?"

"Yeah, I heard about it, too. Hihara-senpai said it."

Hino walked by a group of music students at the corridors during lunch break and pretended to be oblivious of the rumors going around. She kept her head low to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"So, is it true that the soccer star player, Tsuchiura, broke up with her?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Well, remember last semester? The pianist is said to be dating her."

Hino gave a deep sigh. "Not that again," she told herself inaudibly. She had never been popular at school. Yes, it is given that she had been the talk of the town when a general education student was chosen to participate in the concours. But for them to talk about who she is dating and not dating? For crying out loud, why do people keep on mistaking on her relationship with her co-participants?

With her sight on the floor, she did not notice a student who is hurriedly going the opposite way. Luckily, Hihara has good control of his feet. He was able to stop running before he makes a fatal contact with Hino.

"Kaho-chan, I'm sorry!"

"Oh, Hihara-senpai. I – I didn't notice you. I wasn't looking – "

"Heh, I'm sorry Kaho-chan," he put his hands together and bowed, "About the rumors, I didn't mean to…"

"Well, we can't do anything about it anymore."

"I just panicked at that time," he looked like a kid who was caught lying for the first time, "I wasn't using my head."

"It's alright," she smiled assuring, "The rumors will die soon."

"Kahoko-senpai," a small, familiar voice called behind them.

"Fuyuumi-chan!" Hihara greeted.

Fuyuumi jumped back a little with Hihara's loud acknowledgement. She blushed fiercely and defensively placed her arms over her chest. For a second she felt like fainting but as she recovered from shock, she bowed to her senpais respectfully.

"Fuyuumi-chan, do you need anything?"

The freshman opened her mouth hesitantly only to shut it close again. She shook her head from side to side and took another bow before going ahead.

"Did I startle her?" Hihara innocently asked.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky is moonless at half past six in the evening. Hino tucked her violin in its case as another practice ended.

Etou have been awfully silent during the whole session. He came in late that day without any word of notice. Most of the time he sit there being physically present but his mind is evidently somewhere else. He just nods or shakes his head to answer yes or no and saying a word or two if inevitable. In fact, the only time she heard him say a full sentence was when he ended the meeting.

"Etou-kun," she asked for the nth time, "are you not feeling well?"

"Mm fine!"

"Then, thank you for today." She bowed. "I'll be going ahead."

As she twisted the knob and opened the door slightly, Etou stood up from the piano stool and crossed the room. He grabbed Hino's wrist to stop her for going any farther. Hino spun her head so fast she thought for a second that she might have broken her neck.

"Hino, can I really tell you?" He asked her with a creased brow. If wishes do come true, this is the best time to try it.

"Wha – ?" She looked confused at first but nodded after realizing what he is asking about. "I'll listen."

He gestured her to sit at the stool while he was standing beside the glass window.

"You asked me," he started, "why I played a lot of instruments?"

She nodded, unsure of where the conversation will go. She remembered how she uttered the words naturally that night but hearing him right now makes her feel tense.

"I never really like to play those instruments. My parents enroll me to music lessons whenever an instrument gets really trendy in the industry. It's like an experiment and I was the test subject."

"But, Etou-kun, the violin – "

"Some lasted for as short as three months," he interrupted her. "Then there was the news about a child violin prodigy, the son of Hamai Misa. They enrolled me in the same class as his. Damn, I hate comparison!" He lifted his arm and let his fist fall on the wall behind him.

Her mouth formed a small 'o' at the mention of the renowned pianist's name. This is it, the story she had been waiting to hear.

"Whenever that jerk wins recognitions, my parents would always ask me why I did not get the same. It's always 'he's like that; you should be like that, too.' I hated him so much; it made me think that if he's not in the way, maybe my parents will be more satisfied with me."

"Etou-kun…" she whispered, seeing his furrowed face.

"So I convinced an older guy to do that job for me. It was easy for me to do so since almost everybody hated Tsukimori. Ousaki caught the guy when he was about to crush the jerk's hand. He reported the incident to Sensei."

She covered her mouth with her shaky hands.

"I admitted the crime. I'm the one to conspire it, after all. Everyone treated me like an outcast – no, an outlaw. If they pick fights, hell, I give them what they want! Even little pacifist got scared. Who would want to be a friend of a criminal?"

Books and sheets of paper thudded on the floor. The sound came from the corridor beyond the partially opened door. Etou and Hino's gaze flings to the same direction at the same time.

The shadow from the dim corridor moved not to pick the fallen objects but to burst into the room.

"Ka – Kaji-kun." Hino's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde. She got on her feet and paced the room towards the now fully opened door. She stopped a foot away from his towering figure.

Etou, upon seeing Kaji, leaned closer on the wall. A weakening current flowed throughout his body and made him feel like jelly.

"Is… is it true?" Kaji did not even look at Hino. His attention is solely for Etou at the moment. "Was Ousaki-senpai the one who ratted what I've done?" The Gen Ed student passed beside Hino then halted half an arm's length in front of Etou. Kaji's hands gripped Etou's collar tightly. His emerald eyes constrict in hatred.

Etou did not budge nor did he react to defend himself.

"Oi," he shook the violinist, "answer me! Was it Ousaki-senpai?"

"Yeah." The answer came out more like a sigh.

The blonde's fist unclenched and fully eased out on the collar. His arms fell limp on his sides. A full minute passed without any movement. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he backed out a few baby-steps and raised his right arm just over his shoulder. He took his stance and swings his hand to the direction of Etou's face.

Hino froze from where she stood. She does not want for it to happen again but what can a powerless girl like her do? Unwillingly, she shut her eyes while waiting for the sound of the impact.

An inch before Kaji's fist reach the other's jaw, he stopped.

"Baka!" Kaji's lips formed a crazy, bitter smile. "You're such a fool! Why did you do that?"

"You'll be the bull's eye of fights if they'd known it was you." His voice was forceful at first. It gradually softened. "Plus music means so much more to you back then."

"Idiot! You could have at least told me. The whole time, I thought you were the one who ratted me to Sensei." He retracted his arm.

"Would you have trusted me? You cowardly left us in mess."

"And you took the blame?"

"It took you almost a decade before realizing that? Who's the fool, huh?"

Hino slowly opened her eyes. She cannot understand their loud conversation. Fragments of thoughts spawned on her mind but it does not make any sense.

"Kaji-kun," her weak voice broke the harsh exchange of words, "Etou-kun." She looked at them with confusion.

"I'm done Hino." Etou left the room hastily without another look at the two Seiso students.

Kaji turned to face Hino. His expression shows a cross between regret and relief. He calmly walked towards her and reached her shaking shoulders with his hands. He looked longingly to her eyes then beckoned her on sitting back at the piano stool.

Hino obediently placed herself on the chair. Her knees are too weak to hold her up anyway. There is too much to comprehend. Probably what happened tonight is comparable to a very complex math problem. Something that needs taking note of and solving it using established mathematical equations. She is not dumb, but this information overload really cannot fit inside her brain at the moment.

She took deep breaths to shake off the feeling of stress. She closed her eyes, willingly now, to clear her crowded mind.

"Hino." Kaji stooped down so that their faces are level "What he told you is a lie."

Her golden orbs opened widely. He pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiped the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead.

"I did it. I was the one who wanted to break Tsukimori's hand." He knelt down on the ground. "I was jealous of his abilities. He aimed for perfection and his standards were so high up, while I, on the other hand, needed to work twice as much just to achieve a passable performance."

"But, Kaji-kun –"

He put up a finger to silence her. "It was childish. I thought Etou was the one to notify Sensei, so much of a friend. I got scared and told my parents I didn't like violin anymore. After that, I swore I will never do anything like that again."

As if losing strength, Kaji sat down on the floor beside the stool. He rested his head on the edge of the keyboard and looked up the ceiling. He placed his right arm on his knee and fidgeted his long fingers on the hanky.

"I never thought that he would take the blame for me."

"So it was…" She paused to form the conclusion in mind. "It was all a misunderstanding."

"I guess so. Foolish me."

"Kaji-kun," she called rather energetically, "talk to him."

"Perhaps, when he cools down. Angry minds can't accept others' reasoning."

"You say things just like him. I'm glad you're back."

"Hino," he looked up to her, "I'm sorry for what I said. Aren't you mad at me for doing that to Tsukimori?" He withdrew his gaze from her face apologetically and returned to staring at the ceiling.

"I don't think it's up to me to be mad," a smile formed in her face, "Where have you been last week?"

"After the fight with Etou, I thought I should give violin another try. I took a crash course." He smiled widely. He definitely felt better with Hino's words. While he was away, he was worried that things might never go back to normal. To be seen charging like an angry bull, that would really scare her away. He was sure. Now that she is by his side, talking cheerfully like before, he will try his hardest not to waste this second chance. He loved her then, he loves her more now.

Regaining strength, Kaji stood up to his full height. He walked out the room and gathered his fallen things from the hall. He enthusiastically picked the books and sheets one by one and stacked them on his bent arm. Once he was finished, he went back to where the piano stood. He brushed Hino's hair with his free hand.

"Come now. I'll walk you home."

"Thank you." She sprang up from the chair and took her violin and bag from the ground. The pair walked their way out the school grounds silently.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Disclaimer applies.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **Legal claims on La Corda d'Oro and its characters are not owned by petiamo.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Kaji has been restless in the small staff room for over five minutes. His whole body seemed to have memorized the drill. Take eleven steps to the east side. Look out to the glass window overlooking the almost empty parking lot. Turn one hundred and eighty degrees and take another eleven steps to the white door on the west. Then back again.

Things have gone through his mind. Tsukimori had to tutor her when he should have walked her home. When he asked Hino for a trip to the park, his family has to attend a government meeting. Then, he had a fight with Etou when they planned to go to the Music Centre. What is it this time? Why has not she arrived?

He looked at his wrist watch. It was already quarter past five. And, as if not believing his time piece, he opened the door and took a peek at the huge wall clock hanging at the wall by the nurse's station. Of course, it showed the same.

He went out of the room to the waiting area. At least if she arrives, he would see her immediately. As he rested on one of the plastic seats directly in front of the automatic glass doors, it opened to reveal an assembly of teenagers. Hihara led the group. Tsuchiura and Yunoki are next to the trumpet player. The last to enter is Shimizu.

"Kaji!," Hihara hollered as he waves his hand frantically.

"Oi, senpai," Tsuchiura put a hand on the senior's shoulder, "not too loud. This is a hospital."

Kaji stood up and met them half-way. "Why… are you here?"

"Hihara-senpai and I met Hino at the shopping centre earlier. She invited us."

"And I brought Yunoki as well." He gave a peace sign.

"Hihara dragged me." His tone was rather cold.

It was obvious Hino told them what the gathering was for. Everyone brought their instruments. Hihara and Yunoki have their instrument in one hand. Tsuchiura has a long black container on his back. Kaji assumed that he brought a 61-key portable keyboard. Shimizu's cello mounted on his rear.

"How about Shimizu?" Everyone turned their heads to the drowsy blonde.

"Kahoko-senpai asked Fuyuumi-san to ask me to come. She said there is going to be another quartet." His eyes sparkled as he uttered the last word.  
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Hino and Fuyuumi hurriedly stepped out of the cab. They got held up in traffic because of a car accident in the highway. From the trunk of the car, the driver assisted the two ladies in putting out a large picnic basket. The taxi then sped out of the drive way. Hino and Fuuyumi took a handle each and diligently carried the basket towards the hospital doors while they handled their instrument on their other hand. As they got closer, Hino saw him. Etou is leaning on the concrete wall beside the glass doors. His violin case is put down in front of him.

Etou breathed on his palms and rubbed them against each other to keep them warm. He has been standing there for nearly twenty minutes. When he saw Hino looking at him in confusion, he retracted his gaze and focused on the nearby lamp post standing among the bushes.

"Oh good! You came." Her face brightened.

"I really have nothing better to do tonight." Etou said the words impassively while directing his eyes to the ceiling lights to his right this time.

"Why are you waiting here outside?"

"Never really like being in this hospital." It has been years since he last dropped by this place. He is not afraid of treatment. Rather, he feels uncomfortable with the company waiting for him inside.

"Well, we're not here for treatment. By the way," she noticed him look at the other girl, "this is Fuyuumi Shoko-chan. This is Etou Kiriya-kun."

Fuyuumi bowed. "N-n-nice to meet you."

He gave a slight nod.

"So, let's go in now. It's really cold here."

Etou lifted his violin fron the ground with his left hand. He flexed his bandage-free right hand. The wound is already close thought it left a pinkish scar visible under the bright light. He walked closer to the two ladies and took the basket from their hands without a word.

Hino came in first. She scanned the area but found no one familiar. "A-ano, is Kaji Aoi-kun here," she asked an attendant as she reached the reception desk.

"Oh, you must be the ones Aoi-kun is waiting for. They are at the staff room." The attendant pointed her index finger to the hall across. "Just go straight there. You'll see the white door at the end."

"Thank you!"  
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The room was packed. Aside from rows and rows of employee lockers, there was a rectangular table on one side of the room. Each seat is taken by Kaji's guests except for Etou who opted to stay standing at one corner of the room. Music instruments are everywhere. For thirty minutes, the group decided to practice the pieces they are going to perform. It was the hospital owner's grandson's idea to play Christmas songs at the children's ward this Christmas Eve, a gift to those children who have to spend this special day at the hospital. It was supposed to be a duet, only a violin and a viola.

"Kahoko-senpai improved a lot," Shimizu spoke slowly, "You have better sense of rhythm now."

She blushed.

"That's right!" Hihara put his thumbs up. "Kaho-chan really got better."

"I'm sure this will be a good performance. Right, Hino-san?" Yunoki smiled at her.

"H-hai!"

"Well, then we better get going." Kaji took the lead as he stepped out of the room and proceeded upstairs to the Children's ward.

The ward is a long room with hospital beds lined up on both sides. The walls contrasted the dull, white beddings. It is painted with bright colors and pictures of cute animals and beautiful sceneries.

The group set up at the side nearest to the doors. After a few introductions, mostly childish talks from Hihara, they started playing for the children and their families. They started with the Christmas classic Silent Night by Franz Gruber. The gentle sound filled the air with calm. The different ranges of the instruments added effects to the already beautiful song. Then they proceeded to a medley of other famous songs entitled The Joyful Sounds of Christmas arranged by James Ployhar. Everyone in the room swayed with the quick and lively notes. They played for the next hour with a few minutes of rest in between.

The audience applauded in awe as the group finished their performance with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. They stayed a while longer to have a chat with the children. Cute, innocent faces thanked the musicians. For a moment, they are relieved of the reason they are here. The group went back to the staff room downstairs at seven-thirty.  
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"Heh, I'm really tired." Hihara parked himself at the nearest chair. The rest followed suit.

"You fit to be there, Hihara."

"Yunoki!"

"I think everyone loved Fuyuumi-san as well," Shimizu observed bluntly.

All eyes turned to her. Her face went cherry red and she felt her eyes get teary. She was about to lose consciousness when Hihara's stomach grumbled. She heaved a deep sigh.

"Ah, that reminds me." Hino went to Etou's corner and picked up the picnic basket. She set it on the table and opened it. She brought out nine neatly made makunouchi bento boxes. "Fuyuumi-chan and I made these earlier. It was her idea." She winked at her kouhai.

Again, all eyes were directed to Fuyuumi. "T-That's right." She was dearly trembling.

"Ah… I wonder how it tastes," Shimizu said dreamily, "a bento made by Kahoko-senpai and Fuyuumi-san's hand."

"It looks well-made." Yunoki critically gazed at the colorful arrangement.

"Isn't this too much, Hino, Fuyuumi?" Tsuchiura asked.

Both ladies shake their heads.

"Hmm… ano, it's really fine." The truth is Hino really wanted to buy everyone a Christmas gift to thank them for this year's blessings. It turned out she planned too much that she was not able to pick anything from the shopping centre except for her older brother's gift. When Fuyuumi called to her this morning to ask about something, the idea of cooking for their friends came up.

Hino and Fuyuumi started distributing the boxes. Each makunouchi bento contained fish, meat, egg, steamed vegetables, pickled fruit, and a serving of chestnut rice. After a lot of commotion, every one of the boxes reached its owner except for one.

"Etou-kun, get yours." Hino turned to him only to find that he is already holding his share. "I'm sure we made just enough for everyone." It puzzled her so much, she began counting with her fingers. "Let's see… There's seven of us in the concours. Then there's Kaji-kun and Etou-kun. That makes nine. But why..."

Tsuchiura went behind Hino and placed his hand on her head. "Hino, Tsukimori's not here."

The room fell silent. The words fell heavily in Hino's mind.

"Ahaha, silly me, neh Fuyuumi-chan?" She forced a laugh. "I guess we wasted time preparing an extra."  
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The past year has been a roller coaster ride for everyone. From the concours to today's gathering, each had their ups and downs. After this night, every one parted having different concerns in mind.

Hino spent her alone time thinking about those words that made her heart sink. Maybe a part of her still feels his presence. There was nothing more between them than the music they share. Until he comes back, she has to get better. It is a promise, after all. But, will he ever go back? Vienna is definitely better for him.

Kaji and Etou did not try to bring back the friendship they had before. They started anew, as better persons. A lot have changed so they are working on knowing each other better, one step at a time.

Hihara started rebuilding his courage. Few months left and he has to make his move. It maybe too much to let his future depend on one girl, but love has its reasons. Most of them are inexplicable.

Just like his friend, Yunoki is counting down the days. Plans for studying in London have already been arranged by his grandmother. It always amuses him that such a girl could let him off his rhythm. He maybe too proud to say it but whenever he thinks of going away, he feels this longing for that redhead.

Shimizu still goes with his routine: wakes up, eats, practice, sleeps and over again. The only difference is that he is trying to play his cello, no longer strictly according to the music sheet, but according to how he feels. He tries to achieve a carefree tone, just like his senpai's.

Fuyuumi is trying to fight her being introvert. Why cannot she be like her senpais? Every one of them does not mind being the center of attention for a moment. Everyone handles pressure very well. She is sure she can be like them, too. She just has to put effort to it.

Right now, just keeping her company satisfies him but Tsuchiura wondered would there ever come a time when he would think the same as Sakimoto. Would friendship be enough in the future? He spent his holidays pondering over the question everyday.

The rest of December and the month January passed in a blur.  
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**petiamo no memo**

A breather chapter – just have to add a bit of drama in the end. Christmas – a day of festivities, foods and the most important, faith.

I'm not sure if I can update immediately. Academic year will start here soon. I still have to attend classes [and get use to my new schedule]. I don't want to go empty on chapters in hand. Sometimes I feel like adding small details to it that is important in the future chapters.

Well, thank you very much!

Domo [bows]!


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I missed saying that the rights to La Corda d'Oro does not belong to me.

**Chapter Twenty**

Days of snowfall were already over. The little flurry that accumulated over the winter was starting to melt but the wind remained nippy. Today was the start of the second week of February. One more month and the school days would be over.

Before leaving the classroom for dismissal, Hino realized that she forgot to return the notebook Mori lent her. Knowing that the pianist would be needing it for an assignment, she ran after the girl who left quite a while ago. If she hurried, she might be able to catch her by the school gates.

She was running by the school's storage room when she heard a loud rumble inside. Curious, she stopped and slowly turned the knob. Bit by bit, she opened the door. She peeked inside and saw that a stack of used books fell on the floor. Hino heard a low moan and decided to scan the room. From the half-open window overlooking the soccer field, a terrified cat jumped from the sill to the outside grounds.

Hino looked back to the fallen stack and noticed that they were old music books. She cautiously made her way closer and knelt down on the floor to pick up the closest to her. "Beginner's Piano," she read the big, bold letters on the front page.

She flipped the brittle-looking, yellow pages. The pieces inside were in the simplest arrangement. It was printed with relatively large staffs and bold notes, just like children's books. Hino excitedly stood up, forgetting her chore to return Mori's notebook. Her eyes set on the old upright sitting near the window.

She sat on the stool not minding the dust and flipped the keyboard's wooden cover open. Carefully, she pressed the first key on the left and the piano replied with the deep 'Do'. The keys were slightly heavy, requiring Hino to put an extra effort in striking the keys with her finger. She started testing each of the keys while singing along with the climbing notes.

"Ha…ni…ho…he…to…i…ro…ha…" She giggled before continuing with the upper keys. Then, she heard a soft knock from the window. "Tsuchiura-kun." Her cheeks burned red in an instant.

"I didn't know you can sing." He rested his arms on the sill and his head on his arms. His lips formed a teasing smile.

"I – I was just…," she stuttered guiltily.

He pushed open the window totally and jumped inside the room. He saw the old music book atop the piano and picked it up. "Is this your first time playing the piano?"

"A-huh."

"It figures. Just like a kid playing hastily the do-re-mi." He ruffled her hair. "If you want to I can teach you." He flipped open the book on hand and searched for a piece.

She nodded happily.

"Oi, Tsuchiura!" Someone came running from the field. "Get back. Buchou's head is starting to release steam!"

"Time out!" He peeked outside to face Sasaki. "I need a time out."

Sasaki gave him a two-thumbs-up and a loud snicker before running back to the soccer field.

"So, where were we?" He looked at his hand, "Oh, right! Hmmm… Let's see." He scanned the table of contents and easily found something. "Here. This one's easy. Earlier piece I've learned."

He placed the book on the piece holder. It was on the eighth and ninth pages. Lightly row was on the left of the spread while Amazing Grace was on the right.

"How will you know which finger goes with the note?"

"See those little numbers below the notes? They indicate which finger. And hold your hand like this." He spread his big hands over the keyboard to demonstrate how. "Keep them relaxed."

Hino mimicked the pianist. After more pointers, Hino started playing the latter piece on a very slow tempo. "It's good that you have big hands, Tsuchiura-kun. They can cover an octave without a problem." She closed and opened her tired hands. "This is really fun, but I'll stick to the violin."

"Yeah, I guessed that." He combed his hair.

"I don't mean to offend you." She blushed. "It's just that Tsuchiura-kun's piano sounds better."

"Hey, scoot over." He beckoned her to give space on the stool. Once he was seated, he cracked his knuckles and started playing Amazing Grace. He knew the piece so well that he closed his eyes while performing. It was amazing how this girl helped him to build his confidence back. If he had not met Hino, he would not have found his way back from those painful shadows of his past. He just realized how much this song – _how much he_ relates to this song.

Hino clapped her hands enthusiastically as he reached the double bar lines. "See what I mean? – Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Mori-san!" She stood suddenly and ran towards the door. Before going out, she turned around and bowed to Tsuchiura. "Sorry, Tsuchiura-kun! I forgot I have to find Mori-san. Thank you!" She ran out the door leaving a confused guy behind. Hino ran as fast as her slender legs would allow her. Panic spread over her body. Unfortunately, she was not able to find Mori anywhere.  
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It was a home kitchen like no other: a vast, well-polished marble countertop, a stainless, full-sized oven, a matching four-burner stove, cooking pots of various sizes, a set of sharp knives, cooking and baking utensils and other extravagant things which were unusually found in a family kitchen. The group entered the huge room with a really red Fuyuumi in the lead. This was two times larger than the one in their villa.

Hino and Kobayashi set the grocery bags on the table near the door. They were bags from a large baking shop near the train station. It contained everything they needed for today's agenda. They bought baking chocolate, various kinds of nuts, sugar, milk and other ingredients. They also purchased small carton boxes and different colored ribbons.

"A-ano, senpais, thank you for coming with me today."

Amou laughed really hard. "Ho-ho, it's no matter, Fuyuumi-chan!" She brought out her partner in crime – her trusted camera. "I'll take pictures. This will be once in a lifetime."

Fuyuumi felt defeated. It was only supposed to be between Hino-senpai and her but Amou happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She heard their conversation at the back of the school auditorium this afternoon and insisted on coming here. They became like dominoes. The invitation of making honmei chocolates spread from one person to another, from Amou to Takato, Kobayashi and even Mori.

"By the way," there was hint of malice in the journalist's voice, "I haven't asked for who these chocolates will be."

Hino and Fuyuumi exchanged critical looks. At the same time, they shook their heads.

Amou put up an evil smile. "I wonder how fast these photos get developed. I bet it could still make the presses tomorrow morning."

"Now, now Amou-san." Mori came closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're not here for that."

"Aw, Mori-san. C'mon. It is in my nature to be curious."

"We're curious, too! But there's no need to blackmail Fuyuumi-chan," said Takato.

"Yeah, do tell. Do tell," agreed Kobayashi.

Mori put a hand in her forehead. "You guys are hopeless."

Amou walked towards the freshman and stood face to face closely. "Fuyuumi-chan," she called in a dangerously sweet manner, "I promise I won't leak anything at school. It will be just among us."

Fuyuumi's eyes widened. Her whole face was beet red.

Hino panicked at the stance of her kouhai. In a few seconds, it looked like she was to lose consciousness. "Amou-san, there's no need to squeeze it out of her."

The journalist turned to the violinist. "Would you tell me then? Please, please. Pretty please."

Kobayashi started taking out the ingredients from the bag. "It's getting late. Why don't we start?"

"Right." Mori helped Kobayashi unload the package. "We're here for the chocolates, remember?"

"Fine!" Amou straightened, feeling overpowered.

Everyone worked assiduously in making the chocolates. From preparing the ingredients, melting and molding the chocolate, and decorating them. After the meticulous labor, each had boxes in hand to pack their home-made sweets.

"Who are those for, Kobayashi-san?"

"This one is for my dad. How about that, Mori-san?"

"Eh – Ah… for my dad, too."

"That's a lot Kaho-chan! Who will you give them to?" Takato leaned over Hino's workspace.

"Since dad and O-nii-san aren't here, I'll give them to the guys at Seiso."

"Is Kaji-kun one of them?" Mori listened closely.

"Yup. That one is for Kaji-kun." She pointed to the one farthest to her and proceeded to the next ones. "Those are for Tsuchiura-kun, Hihara-senpai and Yunoki-senpai. This is for – "

"Very thoughtful of you Hino-san," Mori commented.

"I – I thought honmei chocolates should be given to only one."

"No. It's not like that Fuyuumi-chan. Since I'm giving everyone a homemade chocolate they can be considered giri chocolates. They helped me a lot so this is my way of thanking them."

"Nice dodge Hino-san!" Amou winked at the redhead. "And now, for the main event, Fuyuumi-chan will tell us who will receive her chocolates!"

"Not that again, Amou-san! Can't you just wait 'till tomorrow?" Takato crossed her arms.

"Fine. Fine. I'll be watching closely."

Everybody burst into laughter at Amou's consistent curiosity. Even the usually tense Fuyuumi chuckled loudly. Hino stopped midway and dried the tears of joy that started to flood her eyes. She could still remember how shaky her kouhai's voice was back in the morning of December twenty-fourth when she called to ask whether the rumor about her was true. She could even recall how loud Fuyuumi's sigh was after re-assuring that it was only Hihara's mistake and how the phone call ended with them agreeing about cooking a homemade Christmas meal for their friends.  
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"Ohmyohmyohmy!" Hihara hurriedly climbed up the stairs the following morning. The classes had already started and he was obviously late. "This is Haruhi-nii's fault!"

So much for a nice weather. When he opened his eyes this morning, he was greeted by the bright shining sun and blue sky with puffy clouds. He thought today would be a good day. He was wrong. He looked at the alarm clock, the one who forgot to alarm, and it was way beyond his waking time. He was not able to catch the bus at the nearest station so he had to run through shortcuts to reach the next bus stop. Then, as he arrived at school, he realized he forgot his trumpet, his phone and his wrist watch.

He dashed to class 3-B's door when it slid open from the other side. The first period was already over and Kanazawa was ready to head back to the faculty room.

"Kanayan!" He breathed heavily.

"Oh, Hihara, you're alive?"

"Kanayan! Was I marked absent? Was I? Was I?"

"You missed first period. According to section three in the attendance guidelines of the handbook – I sound so smart there – anyway, according to that yes you should be."

"Awww… what if I say that it's because my clock became just a regular clock. It was supposed to be an alarm clock but it forgot to alarm and so it is no longer an alarm alarm clock. Please, please, please… My perfect attendance, Kanayan!" He pulled his hair and tried to uproot it with his hands.

"Past is past. Well, how do they say this… Hmm… Ah, right, come to the faculty room before lunch break and after classes. I have some wonderful things for you." He tapped the student's shoulder lightly and proceeded ahead.

"How about chocolates? I'll give some to you. It's Valentine's. Everybody should be happy!"

"Baka! No guy gives chocolate on Valentine's day, especially to another guy. And about your perfect attendance, a little minus one would not hurt!" The teacher smiled widely. "See ya!"  
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Shimizu lay on the grassy space behind the practice rooms during lunch break. His blue eyes reflected the sky until a shadow was cast over his view. He got up into a sitting position and slowly raised his sight to the owner of the shade.

Fuyuumi stood silently but shakily in front of the blonde. Her arms were behind her and her face was rose in color. "Sh-shimi-zu-kun," she called nervously.

The guy smiled.

"What's happening? I can't see." The sound came from the bushes nearby.

"Amou-san! Don't be too noisy." Mori moved a bit sideways.

"Ouch! Someone stepped on my foot," Hino's voice announced in a high tone.

"A-ano, Shimiz-kun."

"What is it, Fuyuumi-san?" Although he was smiling widely, it was evident that he feels drowsy.

"It-it's Valentine's day and – "

"Aww, c'mon!" Amou shouted loudly that the two freshman looked in their direction. Realizing this, she turned to whispering. "Sorry."

"Did she give it, yet?" Kobayashi was at the farthest back.

"No not yet."

"Go, Fuyuumi-chan," Takato cheered lowly, "you can do it!"

"Oh, right," Shimizu put a finger to his chin, "it is today. Thank you for reminding me."

"Ah – Shimizu-kun. I – I want you to have this." She withdrew her hands from her back and stretched it towards Shimizu. She was handing him a blue box with a red ribbon that contained the homemade chocolates she made last night.

"Oh my gosh. I need to take pictures of these." Amou clicked the camera hanging from her neck.

"Thank you, Fuyuumi-san. Now, I understand why Kahoko-senpai gave chocolates earlier."

"Sh-shimizu-kun, I – I made them myself."

"Oh, just like last Christmas." He untied the ribbon and slowly lifted the carton lid. "I'm sure they are as delicious as what Fuyuumi-san cooked last year."

"They're… they're ho-honmei chocolates…"

"Atta girl, Fuyuumi-chan!" Amou nearly jumped out of the bushes. Luckily, Mori and Takato restrained her in time.

"Could you behave yourself a bit, Amou-san?"

"Sorry, Mori-san, I got a little excited."  
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Hihara slumped while walking towards the faculty room. For fourteen years of attending school, his record was perfect and now, just because of the stupid non-alarm clock, it was ruined. How worse could this sun-guised day get? Earlier, he was asked to arrange the old books on the dusty storage room. What would it be this time?

"Ah, Hihara, my friend!" Kanazawa greeted him by the door. "You'll enjoy this better than earlier."

"Kanayan, if we're friends," his voice was monotonous, "you'll never ask me to do what you're thinking right now."

The teacher chuckled. "No, no. You'll thank me for this later. Ah, there she is!"

Hino came running towards the two men from the end of the hall.

"She came to me to ask if you attended school today." Kanazawa declared matter-of-factly to answer Hihara's unasked question. He could tell what was on the student's mind from the expression on his face.

"Hihara-senpai!" Hino finally reached the two of them. "I've been looking earlier for you."

"Kaho-chan," he tugged her sleeves, "please ask Kanayan to forgive me."

"A-ano – "

"Okay, enough you two," intruded Kanazawa. "You still have something wonderful to do, Hihara. The records room at the basement needs some alphabetizing. You, Hino, you owe me one for helping you find Hihara so help him, too." He grabbed their arms and slowly dragged them to the stairs.

"Eh, Kanazawa-sensei! I came early this morning. Why do I have to help?"

"Because," he looked at Hihara, "there is something you need to talk about."

The teacher guided his students down to the basement. They walked through the corridor up to the second to the last door to the right of the stairs. Upon reaching the room, Kanazawa took out a ring of keys from his pocket and picked a silver one marked with same number as that of the room. He unlocked the door and slowly opened it.

"Okay, kids. Better start your work now." He started to walk away but he turned back to look at them. "Oh, and I almost forgot. The lock on that door is stuck so if I were you, I wouldn't fully close it." He spun the keys on his forefinger as he made his way towards the stairs. "You'll thank me later, Hihara!"  
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Hihara and Hino toiled hard. The room was filled with tall shelves where large boxes were placed. On one side of the room stood an enormous pile of unorganized student records on filing folders and ample boxes to arrange them on. This room measured like their classroom minus the huge windows. Only the air conditioning kept this place cool.

Hino worked closest to the pile while Hihara took some stack to the other side to have some space for sorting. After they already sorted out four boxes, Hihara stretched his back on the floor. Hino also took some rest after noticing her senpai.

"Sorry, Kaho-chan, for bringing you into this."

"It's alright, I –"

Hino was not able to finish what she was about to say. The door banged loudly against its jamb. Without a second thought, Hihara stood up and ran towards it. He turned the knob frantically but the door would not budge. Hino went beside him and took a turn in trying to open the door but it came the same. They tried calling out to anyone but nobody was there. School hours were long over and they could only assume that office hours were, too.

"Kaho-chan, how about calling someone from the phone?"

"You try, Hihara-senpai. I don't have my things with me. My bag is still upstairs."

"I forgot mine at home," he admitted sheepishly.

"I wonder what time it is, now."

They tried resuming their work for a few minutes. The growing restlessness prevented them to fully focus on what they were doing and soon, they gave up. Both of them slumped in a corner while sitting on the floor.

"Ah! I forgot." She took out something from her pocket. It was a small box. "Here, Hihara-senpai!"

He opened the parcel excitedly. "Wah… home-made chocolates?"

She nodded proudly. "We made it last night at Fuyuumi-chan's place."

Before he realized what he was doing, he was already holding her close in a bear hug. When he heard that they were home-made, he just could not help it but pull her into his arms. That was it. The worst was over and now, things were starting to go his way.

"Hihara-senpai… It's ahm – a –a bit uncomfortable."

He let go and put some distance. "Sorry, Kaho-chan!" Hihara picked one from the four contents and put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes while savouring the bittersweet taste and its smooth texture. "This is the best I've ever tasted!"

"Thank you for the complement." She made a slight bow.

He looked at her until she straightened back up. When their eyes met, he remembered suddenly. It was his chance. The mistake he made at school was already a thing of the past. Even she did not seem to think about it anymore. This might be the time he waited for. These chocolates might be a sign of good luck. He remained still for some moments to organize his thoughts. "Kaho-chan," his voice was serious.

"Hmmm?"

"There's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"About what, senpai?" She shifted to get a better view of him. The seriousness of his voice caught her attention. It was one of the few times she heard him spoke in such a manly tone.

"Kaho-chan," he, too, shifted his body and gently grabbed her shoulders. He put his mind on Tsuchiura's advice on keeping it simple. "I know this maybe sudden. We've known each other for less than a year and, well…"

Hino's brows creased in confusion. In an instant, breathing got harder.

"… you see, I like – I've always liked you." His words started to flow faster. "You're kind and friendly. You are thoughtful and honest and that's what I like about you." His cheeks were cherry. His heart was racing like crazy. Before continuing, he took a deep breath. "I – I love Kaho-chan!"

She withdrew her gaze from his face and feigned interest to the door. "Senpai… you?"

He let go of her shoulders. "I love you, Kaho-chan and I am wondering if you'll let me – "

She hastily stood up and increased the distance between them. She placed herself near the faulty door. She was not ready for this. She had always looked up to Hihara as her older brother. She was not mad or anything. She just felt like this conversation was out of place.

From her reaction, he knew what was coming. Even before words would escape her lips, he knew what her answer would be.

It seemed like a lifetime before the awkward silence got broken. "Hiahra-senpai, I – I'm sorry but…" She held her chest. It was similar to what she was feeling during the Youth Fest but for a different and a more clear meaning. A storm of emotions was starting to build inside her. "I'm sorry senpai but I don't feel the same. I – "

"Is it because of him? You like another guy, neh, Kaho-chan?"

"Him?"

"You always look so happy when you are with him. Kaho-chan is looking forward on meeting him each day." His voice was back to being monotonous. His eyes were focused to the other end of the room.

"I… do?" It was a whisper full of doubt and confusion.

"I… guess so. When you play the violin together and walk beside each other, it is when you look the happiest. I really envy him."

"I… am?"

"Heh… Kaho-chan is the one really close to him." He shifted his gaze to his school shoes. "So lucky. He's not really good in interacting with others but with Kaho-chan…"

Clink of keys came from the other side of the wall. Both looked hopefully at the door. Finally, someone came for them.

"Kaho-chan, I have another thing to ask."

She faced him without a word. Her face showed how sorry she was. It was the first time she heard Hihara speak seriously about this kind of things. She felt bad that she cannot give him what he wanted. She nodded slightly.

"I hope nothing will change. I can still be your friend, right?"

The door opened. Kanazawa was on the other side of the door. For a second, he was smiling but it suddenly vanished when he saw his students' faces. The mood he was expecting was different from what he found.

"Hn," she said indifferently before going out of the room and running upstairs.  
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**Petiamo says…**

Sorry for the delay. I was not able to update in June. Days ago, I was streaming this drama where a timid guy confessed to his childhood friend. The aftermath was this re-written, revised chapter.

Thank you for reading!

Domo! [bows]


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **petiamo is not the owner of rights to La Corda d'Oro.

**Chapter Twenty-One**

White was already a thing of the past. Today, the grounds at Seiso Academy welcomed everyone in shades of green. The plants in the garden were starting to bud and the trees were growing their leaves again. The temperature, too, climbed a few notches. It was an obvious sign that spring was on its way.

It had been days since the "thing", as he would refer to it, in the basement happened, but Hihara still had not a chance of talking to her. It was either she was never there or he was too much a coward to make that chance. He had so much to ask her.

He was walking along the busy corridor of the music building's ground floor when he saw the familiar red hair heading towards his direction. He glanced left and right, looking for a detour. Finally realizing that there was no other way, he gazed back at her. For a moment, just a tinsy-bitsy moment, he was sure their eyes met. He was certain that she, too, noticed that in a matter of seconds they were about to come across each other.

Hihara walked in a slower pace, a pace that was verging on being awkward for a man his size. Odd enough, it felt as if nothing changed. He was dragging his feet but time seemed to run faster than usual.

"Yo, Hihara!" Someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around.

"Ha-Hasegawa!" It was good he did not blurt out the things running through his mind.

It took a few minutes before Hasegawa finished discussing the plans for later's orchestra practice. When he turned away to leave, Hihara heaved a sigh and turned back to his original direction. She was nowhere in sight. For now, he was thankful for that little distraction. He was unsure of what to say to Hino, anyway.

Inside the room, Hino felt relieved. She was not ready to face him. It still felt weird that Hihara would just confess his love out of the blue. And then there was that other thing that even she needed to be certain first.  
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"How about it?" Yunoki was sitting on his desk with his face cupped on his hand as he repeated Hihara's question. His brows were slightly creased.

"Hmnnnn," Hihara nodded.

"Well," he lifted his head from his hand and turned sideways to face his friend, "it is a possibility."

"Just a possibility?" He stood from his seat and rested his palms on Yunoki's desk. "Yunoki… It has to be more than just a possibility. Don't… you think?" He straightened his stance and re-stated the facts he mentioned earlier. "She spent most her time with Tsukimori. Plus, plus, plus, you've seen her with him. She really likes being at his side."

"You are saying that Hino-san likes Tsukimori without her realizing it?"

"Somewhat… like that. Because when I told her about how she behaved when he's with her, she just asked me if she did those."

"Hmm… Then I guess we will just have to wait for her to answer that herself." He gave Hihara an assuring smile before getting up. He smoothed down his cream jacket and started walking to the door. "Are you coming?"  
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Hino could no longer concentrate on arranging her notes for the upcoming final written examinations. These thoughts seemed to grow in multitude night after night. She pushed back the chair and got up. She crossed her room to open the window. She smiled as she gazed at the stars on the clear sky. And since there was no helping it, she let her thoughts meander back to the night in question.  
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Hino walked out of the room and trailed along the dim hall without another word. She respected Hihara as a senpai and a brother. Shifting to a different kind of relationship would be really hard for her. And now that she knew how he felt, she could not help but feel awkward around him. Being not able to return the same kind of love is one reason.

She put one foot in front of the other until she reached the first floor. She could feel her heart racing; her veins were throbbing like crazy.

"Crap!" The loud voice came from one end of the passage. "There you are. I've been waiting for over an hour!" The figure came closer until Hino could see his face.

"E-Etou-kun," she called out shakily.

"This is a total waste of time. If you're going to do other things," he forced every word on her, "you could have at least told me not to come."

She tried to hold it in. She tried until her head felt like it was going to explode.

They stood facing each other for what seemed like forever. She withdrew her gaze from his angry face and finally, her tears broke. They streamed endlessly on her cheeks.

"S-s-sry," she mumbled while making a quick bow.

His expression softened at the sight of her tears. He was stunned to see her crying. He never intended to make her cry, he just… He just could not control his temper. He did not like waiting. That was all.

Etou slowly stretched his arms towards her but before he could reach, she made an escape. She hastily ran upstairs, leaving a shocked Etou behind.

She went directly to their class room, to where she left her things. All she could see were shadows cast by the light from the windows but she dared not open the lights. Actually, this darkness and silence was kind of comforting. There was no movement, no sound. All she had was she. She could think clearly. She placed herself on the space between the wooden utility cabinet and the wall. She hugged herself in fetal position. She closed her eyes and little by little, she became relaxed.

"Hino? Hino!" Etou finally reached the open door. He scanned the room and was puzzled at first upon seeing that her things were still in her desk. He ran his hand on the wall to find the light switch and turned it on at once. He saw her shoes at one corner and immediately closed the distance. "Oi, Hino!" He kneeled down and shook her lightly.

Hino opened her eyes but was forced to close it back. The lights stung and her sight was hazy.

"Hino, are you okay?" Panic was evident in his voice.

Slowly, she reopened her eyes and saw his concerned face. She felt like crying again. "Sorry." It was the only thing she could say to him. She felt overwhelmed by the feeling in her chest, the same heavy, knee-weakening feeling from the festival.

"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." he tried to find an appropriate word but failed. Without any idea how to finish his apology, he resorted on pulling a clean handkerchief from his pocket and shyly offering it to her.

She received it with a trembling hand. Somehow, this presence gave her a feeling of assurance and safety. "Maybe he was right…" she murmured.  
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It was a cloudy afternoon and there was nothing better to do but clean his quarters. He just finished his routine practice some minutes ago. There was no new sight outside. The flowers would not bloom until two or three weeks from now. He was also sick of going to the park near his apartment. All there was to see were some lovey-dovey couples spending the sunny day together.

Tsukimori pulled open the largest drawer from his study and took out stacks of papers that had been there for as long as he could remember. He laid them on the top of the table carefully. There were some loose pages from a music book, composition sheets, notebooks, and envelopes of various sizes.

He obligingly sat down the nearest chair and started separating the things according to their types. The pages went to the farthest right, the sheets to the left most side of the table, and the notebooks to his immediate left. Now, the envelopes were the only ones that were not yet organized.

"February nineteenth," he read the date written on the topmost packet. He flipped it to the other side only to see it sealed. Tsukimori then proceeded to finding the next latest date. "February thirteenth." He went on arranging them. There were five or six days in between the dates marked on the envelope. "December fourteenth." He placed the first pile of envelopes aside and planned on collecting anew.

He was looking for the one dated between the seventh and the tenth but he could not find any. The next latest date he could find was for December third. He began searching once more, but the result was the same. "I'm sure there was one."  
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"Hello? Good morning." He held his phone closely to his ear. His voice was the greatest evidence that he was nervous. "This is Tsuchiura." Pause. "Hmm… I'm fine." Pause. "Ah, I – I'm just wondering if you're free later." Pause. "Can we meet?" Pause. "Thank you. See you later, then."

He flipped close his phone and placed it in his pocket.

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_**Sometimes, a person becomes conditioned to think of only that someone even though things point to someone else.**_

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**petiamo says…**

Really? One chapter a month... I don't want to grow old writing this still!

If I missed out something, please be kind enough to tell me. It will help a lot.

Anyway, I hope you liked this update. It's short and full of fragments.

Thank you very much for dropping by.

Domo! [bows]


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